After a winter of long training rides that offered more in the way of numb extremities than it did in acute enjoyment, I have to say that the warming of the air and brightening of the skies have served to remind me that while I love riding in bad weather, I certainly don’t have anything against riding when its nice out.
But dont think for a minute that this quells my desire to watch the Pros battle the elements as well as each other and, quite frankly, after a Spring Classics campaign that gave us only fleeting tastes of Rule #9 Glory, I welcome the arrival of the 2012 Giro d’Italia which holds the distinction of being held in the worst weather and over the worst roads. Come July, I’ll get just as wound up as anyone about the biggest racing spectacle of the year, but in my heart, the Giro d’Italia is the best Grand Tour of the three.
All that said, I’m a little disappointed to see that the Giro starts in Denmark. Not that I have anything against Denmark – lovely place – it’s just that this choice takes us away from the classical Giro opening week involving a mountaintop finish or two and gives us a Tour de France-style opening week of flat stages and crosswinds. We’ll have to wait almost two weeks before we start seeing the riders cross the highest passes and hitting the uphill finishes, though the final week does appear to set us up for considerable fireworks as the second-last stage will see the riders cross the Mortirolo and finish atop the Stelvio.
What does this mean for the VSP? Quite a bit, actually. Bearing in mind the changes we’ve made to the Rest-Day picks from the years past, it means that as the race settles out, those who have made changes to their lineup on the first rest day will not have the opportunity to do so again on the second rest day. And, those who wait for the second day will see steep penalties tallying up against their totals. But on the line is a Symbol Pack, the chance to post for the rest of year with the Maglia Rosa VSP Badge and, of course, the grand prize of the personalized Shop Apron. Check the start list and with any divine beings that you might be able to influence, and then get your picks in by the time the countdown timer goes to zero at 5am Pacific on the 5th May.
For reference, please review the new Grand Tour scoring and penalty guidelines. Also note that since these new rules required new coding and this represents the first Grand Tour, there is always the chance that there are defects in the code. Watch your picks and your points as we move through the event and alert us of any anomalies. If your points seem wrong, use the dispute function to alert us of the matter; complaints in the posts feed to this effect will be ignored. Finally, don’t leave anything to the last minute so we have time to fix any problems before its too late. Good luck.
Scoring:
Readers who wish to enter shall enter their predictions for the top five placings on General Classification of each Grand Tour by 5am on the day of the first stage or prologue.
Points
Points will be scored as follows: 20 points for first place, 15 for second, 10 for third, 7 for fourth, and 5 for fifth; plus 3 points per rider in the top five regardless of the rider’s placing, but riders are not scored twice.
Changing of the Picks*
Contestants are allowed to make line up changes on one of the rest days of the Grand Tours but not both. These changes will come with a point penalty. You will be allotted one (1) rest day to make swaps in grand tours. You pick either the first or second rest day. The penalties for swapping will be lower for the first rest day than the second. This will allow you to swap out a rider(s) who gets caught in some first week nervousness with a 5 point penalty for each swap. Or make some go for broke/doomed to fail break-away swap on the second rest day for a 10 point penalty per swap. You make one swap or five on either rest day for the corresponding 5 or 10 point penalty per swap.
Additionally, if one of your riders crashes out, DNF’s, or DNS’s, you may swap them out on a rest day with corresponding penalties if you haven’t already used up your one rest day swap. The only exception to this is riders who are booted from a race for a positive test; if your rider is on the juice and gets chucked off the race, you get a free swap of that rider within 24 hours of the disqualification.
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View Comments
Wow! More and more impressed by Cavendish by the day. Talk about patience! I can't imagine being so close to the line, people coming around & having the patience & skill to wait, wait, wait for just the right time. Incredible.
And he also finished 4th yesterday, shook it off & came back strong.
Plus, he nearly got put into the barriers and had to check his pedaling.
Wow, skill, nerve, patience, speed!
@frank
@Ron
He really is the fastest sprinter out there at the moment. If his train breaks down, he's smart enough to pick a wheel and find a new route. Awesome.
@frank
Yeah, did you see the overhead shots? At one point near the end he was 6th or 7th in line. Then he had to freewheel, then he had a gap in front of him close, then he had to go to the barriers, then he kicked and won - all at about 60 kph. The nerves and reaction times needed by these guys are incredible. It's got to be a big motivator for his teammates knowing hat their hard work will, most likely, be rewarded with a win. I'm assuming that all Cav's prize $$ go into a kitty?
Methinks Cav will be happily sitting in the grupetto for the next two days though. Monday's rest day can't come soon enough, I'm sure.
@Ron
Not to mention fighting the temptation to chuck a minipump in Ferrari's front wheel. I can't believe that guy has the nerve to keep getting up there.
@wiscot
Yeah, a total beauty of a sprint.
He's still a little fart knocker, though.
Where was Mr. Ferrari today? As straight shot as sprint as you can get and he's . . . nowhere. I have to say Goss was a bit erratic in his choice of line but that as to Cav's advantage.
Cav was described by the Italian commentators as "grandissimo Padrone." My Italian is crap, but I know that the Italians are very careful about handing out words like Padrone and Campionissimo.
I'll be shocked if he doesn't beat Darrigade and Armstrong's tour win totals in July. (22 wins each) He might have to wait until next year to overhaul Leducq (25 wins) into 3rd place on the list. Can he beat Hinault's 28? Time will tell. I think the Prophet's 34 win total is safe.
@wiscot
Cavendish? He will keep winning for at least a couple of years, I think he might actually beat the Prophet's total. Until Sagan beats him.
And Ferrari has a nasty punch, but today was for the fast men. Those that have the highest maximum speed, and not those with the sharpest acceleration.
@Netraam
To beat the Prophet, Cav would need three more great years. If he can hold his speed that long, it would be incredible. I give him 2 max, before he starts to decline a bit. Sagan has a long way to go, but could easily get into the teens if he has the right team/train.
Cavendish seems to think Goss opened the gap on purpose, and throws in a dig at Ferrari. Cool all around if Goss did. I love watching big lead out trains at the end of a stage. I think Sky is becoming my favorite team, and Cav seems like a very energetic and excited person which is why he comes off so cocky. I read an article from a few years back when he was riding Roubaix for the first time, and he said he knew he wasn't going to win but he was just excited to be riding in the race. Sky's aero helmet cover things are also pretty sweet.
@wiscot
Cav is turning 27 on Monday. Three years isn't out of the question.
@DerHoggz
It took me a year or two, but I'm coming around on Sky, too. And I'm liking Cav more and more. The kid understands and appreciates the sport's heritage, and his quest to get in the record books is less ego and more a deep-seated reverence for what that means. Yes: he's cocky. Yes: he's brash. Yes: he looks a bit funny. And no: he isn't the most stylish rider ever. But he's also incredibly fast. And, increasingly, smart: even without the HTC train, he's been very good at getting himself into position in the final stretch.
Not that it was in doubt, but today's finished showed that there is far more to a great sprint and excellent sprinters than just raw speed.