Velominati Super Prestige: Giro d’Italia 2012 Stage 20
See that huge mountain over there? The one with the steep, twisty road going up it? The one that is often covered in snow this time of year? Right, race ya to the top.
I don’t know what more there is to say about this year’s Giro; four days from the end, with two of the biggest mountain stages yet to come and the G.C., Mountains, and Points competitions are all wide open. Basso is looking perhaps the freshest of the favorites, but Hope of a Nation is not looking to be weakening, either. Purito hasn’t shown weakness, though he also hasn’t really been able to show the speed he usually has on the uphill finishes; on his trademark uphill finale attacks, the slower men have (usually) been able to contain him. The Pony, on the other hand, showed his scars as he cracked on the way over the last hill on Wednesday’s stage and seems to be on the down side of his good form as we enter the final stretch.
Friday’s stage may well solidify the looks of things, but Saturday’s stage to the top of the Stelvio will be fireworks for sure. Clear your calendars for Friday and Saturday; this is going to be good.
Since this is a Tour stage, point on offer are 5 for first, 4 four second, 3 for third, 2 for fourth, and 1 for 5th. No bonus points for the right rider in the wrong place. Get your picks in by the time the countdown timer goes to zero. Points count towards your overall VSP total but do not effect your Giro VSP total. Good luck.
Changing out tiralongo and throwing in ryder. Dude has a REAL chance to win this Giro. Here’s hoping e doesn’t blow tomorrow!
VSP PICKS:
1. Basso
2. Joaquin rodriguez
3. Ryder hesjedal
4. Scarponi
5. Pozzovivo
VSP PICKS:
1. Basso
2. Pozzovivo
3. Hesjedal
4. J Rod
5. Uran
VSP PICKS:
1. Pozzivivo
2. Basso
3. Rodriguez, J.
4. Scarponi
5. Ryder
Go Ryder Go!
VSP PICKS:
1. Ivan Basso
2. Ryder
3. Scarponi
4. Pozzivivo
5. J Rodriguez
Damn, need to update these picks with the latest insights
VSP PICKS:
1. Hesjedal
2. Basso
3. Scarponi
4. Joaquin Rodriquez
5. Duran Duran
Updated. What a ride from Ryder today! Just awesoem, and awe inspiring. Ontario Cogal Sunday. What a day it would be if we could celebrate the first Canadian to win a Grand Tour with the first Canadian Cogal.
I’m just a LITTLE excited.
VSP PICKS:
1. Hesjedal
2. J. Rodriguez
3. Basso
4. Scarponi
5. Pozzovivo
@Mikel Pearce
That would run the risk of being the first Cogal missed on account of hangovers.
@itburns
Negative Sir. Both the Cogal and the final stage are Sunday. We shall (hopefully) arrive back at our starting point and begin the celebrations!
Monday morning could be ugly though …
VSP PICKS:
1. JRod
2. Scarponi
3. Hesjedal
4. Basso
5. Pozzovivo
@Mikel Pearce
Post-ride drinks could take on a whole new meaning. Of course, it could also mean we might be bombarded by a whole summer horde of fat, rule-breaking new adopters of our fine sport, clogging up “our” roads on steeds for which they are wholly unworthy (yes: we should embrace this missionary work).
Too, there’s an outside chance the Ontario Cogal could start with an espresso with Steve Bauer, who is scheduled to meet the CBC (Canadian for BBC) at our point of departure on Sunday morning (though I fear we’ll miss him by an hour or so). I indirectly invited him to join us in case he preferred a ride (Rule 9 conditions quite likely) over watching the TT…
@Steampunk
As I said, , those fat, rule breaking slobs will make bling bikes cheaper for you and me, and might also help to push to make more room for bikes on our roads … The more the better, I say. We can TEACH them the Rules FFS!
Ryder rocks. So hoping he can pull it off.
Scarponi to win overall by breaking away on stage 20 with my random Basque removed from pre-event picks. Stranger things have happened…
VSP PICKS:
1. Benat Intxausti Elorriaga
2. Scarponi
3. Pozzovivo
4. Purito
5. Basso
VSP PICKS:
1. Hesjedal
2. Basso
3. Rodriguez
4. Scarponi
5. Pozzovivo
VSP PICKS:
1. Basso
2. Hesjedal
3. J Rod
4. Scarponi
5. Pozzi
VSP PICKS:
1. Basso
2. Rodriguez
3. Hesjedal
4. Scarponi
5. Intxausti
VSP PICKS:
1. pozzovivo
2. purito
3. hesjdal
4. scarponi
5. basso
VSP PICKS:
1. Joaquim Rodriguez
2. Ryder Hesjedal
3. Michele Scarponi
4. Michele Scarponi
5. Michele Scarponi
VSP PICKS:
1. Joaquim Rodriguez
2. Ryder Hesjedal
3. Michele Scarponi
4. Pozzovivo
5. Ivan Basso
Scarponi looked fucked as flatfish at the finish today, even amongst the rest of the wreckage. Now I’ve said that, he’ll win it, you watch.
VSP PICKS:
1. Joaquim Rodriguez
2. Pozzovivo
3. Uran
4. Hesjedal
5. Basso
Come on “He who cycles with wolves” hang in there and it’s all yours
VSP PICKS:
1. Scarponi
2. Pozzovivo
3. Ituraldi
4. Hesjedal
5. Rodriguez
Ryder’s in the drivers seat after today’s stage. Purito, Basso, and Scarponi all need to take about 3 minutes out of him on the Stelvio, which I don’t think is going to happen. But to even have a chance at taking this much time, they must attack him early on the climb. Ryder’s going to follow the wheels and nip them at the end.
VSP PICKS:
1. ryder
2. scarponi
3. basso
4. jrod
5. nieve
I’m starting to like Ryder more and more every day. He was sooooo solid today. Roman went all in (and won of course), but had the stage been 100M longer, it woulda sucked for him.
VSP PICKS:
1. J Rod
2. Ryder
3. Sir Basso A Lot
4. Duran Duran
5. Scraps Only
VSP PICKS:
1. Hesjedal
2. Rodriguez
3. Basso
4. Scarponi
5. Pozzovivo
@imakecircles
3 minutes?? I think we’re starting to get a little carried away. Hesjedal took 10 seconds from Basso in the prologue. Multiply that out and you get 30 seconds. You also get a rather narrow margin between the two. Also, at last year’s Tour, where neither had much to ride for, Basso beat Hesjedal by more than a minute (both were behind both Schlecks, so maybe that makes the comparison irrelevant). All this to say: while I won’t dispute that Hesjedal is arguably the best TTer of the four real candidates at this stage, it’s not like he’s a particularly great TTer by pro standards.
@Mikel Pearce
Café Domestique has a raspberry ale on tap. It’s pink. Might be appropriate for after the Cogal. Here’s hoping.
I have no clue.
So I’m probably not waking up at 4, when would be the best time to join in to not miss the excitement? I can’t find the profile for some reason.
VSP PICKS:
1. Basso
2. Hesjedal
3. Purito
4. Scarponi
5. Pozzovivo
My random Basque (Intxausti) lost 40 f’ing minutes on stage 19! So he’s out, and Ryder’s in.
VSP PICKS:
1. Hesjedal
2. Scarponi
3. Pozzovivo
4. Purito
5. Basso
@steampunk, well, Scarponi’s currently 1:39 to Ryder and Basso’s 1:45 down. If both of them took 3:00 out of Ryder on the Stelvio, they’d be up on him by 1:21 and 1:15 respectively. That would seem to be a comfortable margin for them going into the TT. And Purito could easily lose that much time in the TT. My point was that all three need to attack and distance Ryder from a fairly long way out, and maybe they (or one or two of them) can do it if they take turns attacking Ryder, but they are all going to be marking each other for their chances to keep a podium, so I don’t see it happening.
Perhaps one of the favorites will be allowed away on the Mortirolo for an epic break? We’ll see tomorrow. And Sunday.
Kreuziger is still disappointed with his Giro performance, wants to do the same thing again.
I’d love to see him try, and I would love even more to see him get it!
VSP PICKS:
1. Hesjedal
2. Basso
3. Scarponi
4. Roman Crossiger
5. J-Rod
@Steampunk
Are you serious??! Damn man, i hope you invited him to the 2much on 100 also since you are all such good mates!
@Daccordi Rider
Will do, I’m generally in the same area. Look for the V-kit.
VSP PICKS:
1. Rodriguez, J
2. Scarponi
3. Basso
4. Hesjedal
5. Kreuziger
VSP PICKS:
1. Basso
2. Hesjedal
3. Pozzovivo
4. Scarred Pony
5. Colombian Caveman
Was going to throw in some longer odds like Intxausti or Gadret, but I just don’t see it. Couldn’t even find room for Uran x2.
VSP PICKS:
1. Hesjedal
2. Purito
3. Basso
4. Scarponi
5. Pozzovivo
Uran Uran out and Pozzovivo in…but not sure about any of it.
VSP PICKS:
1. JRod
2. Pozzovivo
3. Scarponi
4. Basso
5. Hesjedal
VSP PICKS:
1. Purito
2. Basso
3. Uran
4. Hesjedal
5. Cunego
VSP PICKS:
1. Tom Krueziger
2. Pozz
3. Cunny lingers
4. Rod
5. Eh…
VSP PICKS:
1. J Rodriguez
2. Hesjedal
3. Scarponi
4. Pozzovivo
5. Basso
VSP PICKS:
1. Basso
2. Rodriquez
3. Hesjedal
4. Scarponi
5. pozovivo
VSP PICKS:
1. Basso
2. Scarponi
3. Pozzovivo
4. Rodriguez Oliver
5. Hesjedal
Allez…
VSP PICKS:
1. Basso Profundo
2. ZoVo
3. Hedge Doll
4. Purito
5. Scarponi
VSP PICKS:
1. Rom Kruez
2. Turn up the Bass..O
3. Ryder”s on the form
4. J Ro
5. Pozzoviviovio..o
Impressed by Ryder H ride yesterday… him and The Bass Man in a different class… disappointed by Poss, so move him down one. COME ON!
VSP PICKS:
1. The Bass Man
2. Ryder H
3. Poss
4. JRod
5. Uranosaurus, the Young Beast
VSP PICKS:
1. J-rod
2. Ryder He’s the Girl
3. Scarponi
4. Basso
5. Pozzovivo
VSP PICKS:
1. j rod
2. ryder
3. scarponi
4. basso
5. possovivo
I thought Pozzo was one of the few who didn’t look shattered after yesterday, and I think he is far enough back for the GC huys to let him go, if it is close to the end.
I also suspect the two long climbs will be too much for J-Rod – he may even finish out of the top 5 but I don’t know who to put in his place so he might as well stay in there.
VSP PICKS:
1. Pozzovivo
2. Weight of a Nation
3. Scarponi
4. Basso
5. Rodriguez
Actually, yes I do… Uran.
VSP PICKS:
1. Pozzovivo
2. Weight of a Nation
3. Scarponi
4. Basso
5. Uran
VSP PICKS:
1. j-rod
2. basso
3. uran
4. pozz
5. ryder
@ChrisO yup, I’m banking on today as J-Rod’s 3rd week tanking session.
VSP PICKS:
1. Pozzovivo
2. Uran
3. J Rodriguez
4. Scarponi
5. Hesjedal