Velominati Super Prestige: Giro d’Italia
In the 1990 Giro, a relatively unknown cyclist named Gianni Bugno lit the cycling world on fire by winning the first stage, thereby taking the Maglia Rossa. That wasn’t so surprising in itself; what was surprising was that the little bugger managed to hold the jersey all the way to Milan, a feat previously only accomplished by Binda and Merckx postwar, and prewar legend Costante Girardengo.
This all happened in the age before smartphones and social media; while these days a stealth strike on the World’s Most Wanted Dude gets live-tweeted, in 1990 it took until well after I knew Greg LeMond had won the Tour de France before I found out that Bugno had won the Giro. Reading about the feat in Winning magazine, Bugno instantly became one of my heros and went on to cast himself into a bronze statue of Rad by being one of the few riders able to challenge Indurain in the following years. (He also possessed the mental frailty that seems to be common among my favorite riders. There’s something Shakespearean about heros with flaws that I simply can’t resist.)
The Giro d’Italia is just prestigious enough to be the maker of champions. It’s isn’t made up of a downgraded field like the Vuelta, but it also ins’t as popular as the Tour where only the best riders on the best teams seem to stand a chance. Every Giro produces a revelation that goes onto great things; that’s one of the key reasons this is my favorite Grand Tour: the field is strong enough to have serious contenders, but weak enough to let an outsider play. It’s perfect.
Aside from a well-balanced field, the geography of Italy lends itself to a better three week race than do France or Spain. Many European companies are defined by natural borders such as mountains or water, which generally means the mountains and great bodies of water lie at the borders with plains in between. (Or, as is the case with the Netherlands, beneath.) Italy is unique in that it is narrow and has mountainous terrain in nearly every region. Whereas the first week(s) of the Tour and Vuelta feature mostly flat stages suited for the sprinters and little else, the Giro’s first week generally contains several mountaintop finishes. The difficulty of a typical Giro’s first week means that riders who ride strongly there typically fade towards the end, while riders who were weak on the first climbs may come on strong as the race closes down. The result is a tight race from start to finish with regular changes in leadership. Except in 1990. And whatever years those other three guys who did what Gianni did.
This year’s Giro will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy by making strong men cry. Forty major climbs, and 7 mountain top finishes, one of which involves climbing Mount Etna twice. (Welcome to Sicily, assholes. You get to ride up the most active volcano on Earth twice.) I have it on the excellent authority of a man down the pub that Contador is stocking up on extra drugs even as I write this in an attempt to quiet the rattle of his skinny little bones in his spanish boots.
With that we kick off the best Grand Tour of the year, and the first test of our Grand Tour VSP Software. The other VSP editions have been a piece of cake. Grand Tours include free “swapping of the picks” logic whenever a rider in a contestent’s pick list drops out. We have rest day swaps for 2 or 4 points each, depending on which rest day it is. Our system is supposed to handle all of this smoothly and seamlessly. We’ll see.
Read the scoring guidelines, work out your strategy, dope up on clairvoyance drugs (alcohol) and chuck your picks up. As usual, the winner of this VSP edition will earn an “Obey the Rules” bumper sticker and all reader’s points qualify towards the final prize of the free personalized Velominati Shop Apron. If you are inclined to enter, simply post your predictions for the top five placings in the designated area above the posts section, bearing in mind that entry/modification of picks closes at 5am Pacific time on the day of the race. You are eligible to swap picks at no penalty for your picked riders who drop out; rest day picks each come at a 2 point penalty for the first rest day, 4 points each for the second.
Good luck.
Self delusion is a skill I’m very fond of and in no hurry to lose.
VSP PICKS:
1. Clenbutador
2. Nibali
3. Le Mevel
4. Kreuziger
5. Scarponi
Alright, this morning was yet another confirmation that I’m really, really fucking tired of Dell computers. Tried to change one pick, Kreuziger for Rodriguez, and when I clicked submit my desktop froze. Okay, I’ll go to my laptop. Nope, it was frozen too. Fuck.
Anyway, Oli already set me straight on this, as in not getting too work up about the VSP, but I do get very pissed off when tools don’t do their job.
*And yeah, I could have tried submitting earlier, but I was out on my bike running my dog. And the computer froze for 15 minutes. And I like waiting until near the end. I kind of want to heave my desktop out a window.
@Ron
You do realize we ain’t exactly playing for sheep stations? The winner of the 2011 VSP wins a fucking shop apron for crying out loud (albeit a very classy one). Don’t sweat it mate.
Did anyone just see the crazy Italian tifoso on a chicks mountain bike contest the intermediate sprint ON the course proper???
Just heard on the Eurosport feed that Basso had a nasty crash while training on Etna today. In hospital with lots of stitches. Hope he’s okay.
@Steampunk
yeah i heard that too, fingers crossed it’s all only superficial
Good sprint that. Solid.
@Steampunk
@Sam
Basso had 15 stitches, but he’s fine.
@steampunk
who gives a fuck about Birillo? He’s not riding the Giro.
Man, I wish the Giro video feeds were as nice as the ToC feeds. It’s pretty great. I was starting to wonder if Italy and France are just fuzzy, sort of like Bigfoot.
David Millar’s attack with 3k to go was excellent. Too bad he got reeled back in. I really enjoy watching him race.
Yes, they are. Fresno is much nicer. You should definitely pay more attention to the ToC than the Giro, ’cause it’s way better.
-end snark-
@G’phant
To make my imaginary podium places in the last week more real I even put myself in the ditch last night on a shop ride sprint. Now the gravel rash will add that air of authenticity to proceedings, as I stand on the podium, winning lottery ticket in hand, looking casually deliberate as podium girls slip hotel keys and phone numbers into the bouquests of flowers they’re handing me. (beats being at work with road rash and having to use a mouse with my left hand)
@Jarvis
Um: VSP and Etna. Kinda why I put it here. Also, he crashed. I wouldn’t wish a crash on anyone.
thoughts on stage 11 tomorrow?
i’m not sure who will take the cake, but, based on their aggression thus far, my money is on omega pharma-lotto attacking and dropping the remainders of the breakaway, within the last 4km or so.
@minion
Ooh, bummer. Commiserations. Where were you sprinting?
@sgt
Fresno. Yikes. We got off-piste in Fresno one evening and found ourselves driving down a road with railway lines down the middle and a lot of dangerous looking chaps in white singlets sitting on their steps staring intently at us. I don’t think I could’ve shouted “Put that f*cking map away and stop looking like a tourist” with more urgency if I had tried. It was a relief to (a) survive and (b) get to Modesto the next day. (I understand that relief is not the emotion which most people associate with Modesto. But maybe that’s because most people haven’t been to the A&W Root Beer Drive In on a Friday night to eat outstandingly good burgers with outstandingly fat people and watch an outstandingly bad Elvis impersonator perform in front of a host of outstandingly shiny hotrods owned by a bunch of outstandingly old people. We thought it was outstanding.)
@heath
I’m going to say:
1. Bakelandts
2. Tankink
3. Hoogerland
@ben
yea, but can you pronounce that, 5 times fast?
nice picks ben, i’m thinking along those lines as well. yet, for some reason the image of garzelli stealing the stage, has also surfaced as a possibility.
@heath
Hm…that stage has got Voeckler written all over it, with the obvious exception that he isn’t racing, which poses more than a few obstacles in his winning the stage. Or Cunego, but he suffers from the same handicap, in addition to being totally lame these days.
I’m guessing a combattive rider with hill-climbing capabilities should be an obvious candidate. I’m throwing Di Luca out as my pick. Douch, definitely. Always looks Fantastic? Absolutely.
Visconti?
@G’phant
Visconti fits the bill just like Di Luca – being a long way back in GC, Italian and able to climb.
However Saxo might be inclined to let the right break go away if it contains a non-contender for the GC who is close enough to hopefully take over pink and pace responsibility for the next week or so.
Hard to pick one but maybe someone like Sella (whose team would ride their guts out to keep the pink for as long as possible) or maybe even Judas Gadret???
And congrats to the Kiwis for Henderson’s ToC win. That looked like one long sprint.
@G’phant
nah, I was leading them out, the token pro on the ride shot up the inside of me, and some genius went outside of me immediately to try and get his wheel but took my line forcing me off the tarmac. I held it together and slowed down heaps on the gravel, but when I started to come back onto the tarmac the second bunch flew by and that was one straw too many.
Shiny new bar tape!!! Yay!!!
For some reason the name calling ono this site continues to crack me up. It’s something special.
@Marcus
Into the Lexi with that one, my friend. Top marks.
Had to type “top marks” three times. Thank you, autocorrect.
I might actually READ a question one day before typing a long winded, self praising answer. Coming into the Mirimar cutting around the bays, the first sprint is for the red grit seal that runs across the road just up the road from the turn off from the main drag.
@G’phant , @sgt
Fresno? You must mean FresYES!
And @G’phant, a Kiwi off piste in Fresno, priceless. They don’t call those “singlets” over here. They are “wife beaters.” But as you correctly intuited, the threat of beating extends well past the domicile.
@Marcus
And in Modesto, no less. G’phant, I hope you have recommended said A&W to your countryman.
@Nate
Going to be in Vegas/LA at the end of next month – maybe I will ask the missus what the penalty is for making a VSP sub of Fresno/Modesto to replace the hotel my wife has booked elsewhere in LA.
However am thinking the penalty would be more than a couple of points…
@Marcus
While you are at it, you’ll want to stop off in Bakersfield. And cut off your nose to spite your face.
@Nate
Wikipedia tells me that the Bakersfield economy relies on agriculture, petroleum extraction and refining, and manufacturing – and that it has seen an increase in gangs and gang related activities since the early 2000s. Sounds nice.
@frank @marcus
it probably should be Judas of Gadret
di Doper could make a go of it. Looks like a fun little stage. Pineau maybe?
@Joe
Nice pick. Pineau should love this shit.
I’ll say Spilak, Bak, and Dockx for the scrabble value…
Don’t you mean Inspector Gadret?
Some nice shots of Weylandt’s funeral on Eurosport. RIP, Wouter.
Well done on them for adding that. I would be interested to know if the replay that during the TOC coverage in Versus.
The pink scarf’s was a nice touch.
Le Mevel doing a great job of taking initiative; I wish the others would do some work and keep this break moving. It would be great to see him in Pink!
Hope Le Mevel hasn’t blown his wad on this stage alone.
@Marcus
Judas Gadet for the stage. Nice :thumb:
Ignore my Judas of Gadret suggestion. I was #fullretard as Floyd would say
@ Marcus – Star pick sir, well done.
Man, heartbreak for Moreno. I thought he had it until that last ramp…he worked so hard too. Seriously high pace today.
Moreno definitely deserved that win, bad luck for him!
Gutted for Le Mevel too, if only that group had stayed away…
@Jarvis
Never miss a chance to post a Tropic Thunder clip……never go full retard.
Hello? Didn’t I say Gadret was a baller. That was awesome. Thank you Universal Sports for being FREE BROADCAST in Cincinnati. Who’s jealous? Totally must go on lunch ride.
Well OK so I didn’t expect him to do this today, but I finally made a prediction in a VSP that stuck. Huzzah!
Judas threw some balls out there today. Hope LeMevel didn’t drain the tank. Garvelo is not doing the best at supporting their stars. See Thor in ToC.
Change to the leaderboard with Nibali and Le Mevel swapping places.
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Judas Non-Gadret. Nice pick.
Can someone please explain what Le Mevel thought he was doing? Or what Garmin-Cervelo thought they were doing? Have their GC hopeful expend a bunch of energy to lose time? And even if he didn’t lose time and got the pink jersey, does he really have the team support to protect it at this early stage? I suppose it was the kind of day where anything could happen, but did the break ever stretch their lead to more than three minutes? Just curious…
@frank
Wow, JiPM in second place! Not much of a spread between number 1 and the next 30 or so people, either… anyone’s race, really!