Velominati Super Prestige: Giro d’Italia 2012
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.
[vsp_results id=”15814″]
[/vsp_results]
VSP PICKS:
1. Basso
2. Scarponi
3. Rujano
4. Frank Schleck
5. Kreuziger
Wow, there is a whole lot going on in here right now. Sheep, topless men in swimwear, topless men in white briefs, insults, cussing. I think we need to Giro to start and hopefully calm everyone a bit.
@Blah
SPOT. FUCKING. ON. You had me there for a second, too. I had to go look at my post and make sure I didn’t mistype something. Strong work! +1 badge goes to you.
@Marko
Winona’s Got a Big Brown Beaver, I like the title a lot and I bet she does. The video scared me and I still have no clue how we get to Ryder from here. You damn kids with your hip videos.
Stand by because I’m picking Ryder for the win. Fuck it. I don’t trust Scarponi, Basso is smoking like a hippie’s motorrbike, Kreuziger, he’s got nothin’, and Cunego has no chance. There. I will go down in flames. You’re welcome.
@Ron
Actually, we tried to make this happen. All this talk from you about calming down is making me think about doing an obituary for the New Yorker in you, who has obviously died, shying away from arguments like that!
@Gianni
Hint (its not the cross-eyes)
@Ron
Why calm down? We’re nowhere near the tifosi yet!
Millar is riding the Giro. He wasn’t supposed to do that originally.
Wait, I don’t get it. He isn’t talking about himself apparently, but who IS he talking about?
I don’t want to, but my feelings for Winona are similar to my feelings for the Giro. So Generation X turned 40+.
Swift broke his shoulder, is being replaced by Jeremy Hunt. That is what Millar was talking about.
Primus (and Winona) ROCKS! \m/
VSP PICKS:
1. Hesjedal
2. Basso
3. F Schleck
4. Scarponi
5. Rujano
@the Engine
Hey Fabian, we’d like to take your picture of you in your swimming trunks!
What’s that you say?
Ah, Winona, God bless her. Just a frakkin’ hairball’s mess of cuteness, weirdness, and psychosis.
VSP PICKS:
1. Old Style (it's Kreuz-ened)
2. Ace of Bass (o)
3. Michele Wild Poni
4. Hope of a Nation
5. Giving you one more try, Frank
What has this site got against apostrophes? every time I post on this thread it switches the apostrophe in my pick to that “'” garbage, so my picks keep showing up. Are contractions against the Rules?
VSP PICKS:
1. Old Style (it IS Kreuz-ened)
2. Ace of Bass (o)
3. Michele Wild Poni
4. Hope of a Nation
5. Giving you one more try, Frank
“The research shows that rats who comment online are dumber than rats who don’t.”*
Just trying to keep the flow going here so my picks will count… Am enjoying the argie-bargie and maybe Winona should be the V mascot??
*from a reputable news source
VSP PICKS:
1. Scarponi
2. Basso
3. Krueziger
4. Pozzato
5. Rodriguez
@frank
Oh, I get it. I was thinking of the other one. I’m ashamed.
@Gianni
That’s good cause the one you were fixated on wouldn’t get you arrested!
@The Oracle
The crux of the biscuit is the apostrophe
VSP PICKS:
1. Cunego
2. Basso
3. Kreuziger
4. Scarponi
5. Ballan
I’ve been looking around for inspiration but as you can see from my picks I didn’t find too much.
Hopefully I’ll be able to get out to see them go up to Lago Laceno next Sunday.
VSP PICKS:
1. Scarponi
2. Basso
3. Kreuziger
4. Cadret
5. Pozzovivo
VSP PICKS:
1. R. Hesjedal
2. D. Pozzovivo
3. I. Basso
4. R. Kreuziger
5. J. Rodriguez
Arghh! I just can’t do it! Kreuzi doesn’t have a win in him, so I;ve swapped with Scarred Pony.
Also, random Basque out, and Purito in. I’d love to pick Ryder, but Garmin looks like they only care about sprints.
VSP PICKS:
1. Scarponi
2. Kreuziger
3. F Schleck
4. Basso
5. JoaquÃm RodrÃguez Oliver
@wiscot
The popped collar looks a little Jersey-douche but at least he’s flashing a V-sign!
VSP PICKS:
1. Joaquim Rodriguez
2. F Schleck
3. Scarponi
4. Basso
5. Rujano
Fuck me! Check out this from Cycling News.
Fränk Schleck has admitted that he was surprised at his late call-up to lead the RadioShack-Nissan team at the Giro d’Italia, but he has insisted that he will do all he can to finish in the top 5 in Milan…”I don’t want to look for excuses, but since I’m replacing Jakob and this frankly wasn’t predicted, it’s not exactly the best preparation,”
Way to go, Mr Motivation! Does anyone else think the Schlecks’ lifespan at Radeopard is limited?
I have reorganised my picks again, based on his uplifting assessment.
VSP PICKS:
1. Scarponi
2. Kreuziger
3. JoaquÃm RodrÃguez Oliver
4. F Schleck
5. Basso
@wiscot
Fuck – the surgeon has grafted an extra hand on to your arse Faboo…
@Bianchi Denti
Could be sandbaggery.
@Bianchi Denti
That’s exactly why I put Schleck at number 5.
VSP PICKS:
1. Basso
2. Scarponi
3. Kreuziger
4. Schleck the Elder
5. Rujano
VSP PICKS:
1. Scarponi
2. Kreuzinger
3. Basso
4. Hesjedal
5. Pinotti
@frank
yeah ron – less of the half glass full optimism and more New York Anger, you nice-natured sack of shit.
Would love to see J Rod light up the Giro but don’t think it’ll happen. Predictably boring VSP picks…
VSP PICKS:
1. Scarponi
2. Basso
3. Kreuziger
4. Rujano
5. Schleck the Elder
@The Oracle
Honestly, I’m flummoxed about that. That whole matter was stitched up and fixed, and I haven’t touched the code since. Now the little problem is back. Obviously I did something, I just don’t know what. Suck it up for now, can’t be bothered to track it down. I’ll try to have it fixed up by the time you change your picks on the first rest day.
@Gianni
To be fair, I only “got” it after @Marko “told” me what he meant. I was going down the Les Claypool worm hole.
Here my forecast.
VSP PICKS:
1. Basso
2. Scarponi
3. Kreuziger
4. Schleck
5. Cunego
@frank
I bet you have a Bocephus sticker on your 442.
VSP PICKS:
1. Scarponi
2. Basso
3. Kreuziger
4. Hesjedal
5. Pinotti
@frank
Hot damn!
Here I was tempting fate poking at the bear in the pit and he rewards me.
Cheers Fhaaarunke!
VSP PICKS:
1. Kreuziger
2. Basso
3. Scarponi
4. Jaoquim Rodriguez
5. Hesjedal
VSP PICKS:
1. scarponi
2. basso
3. kreuziger
4. rujano
5. f schleck
VSP PICKS:
1. Basso
2. Schleck Sr.
3. Hesjedal
4. Scarponi
5. Kreuziger
@The Oracle
Exactly what I’m feeling at the moment, collarbone doesn’t actually hurt. But the joints at both ends are as stiff as fuck & the muscles around the surgery site feel so weak it’s not funny.
@Chris
Can safely say I’ll be getting very little work done today after watching that & looking through the list of related videos on the side…
@Pedale.Forchetta
NICE FUCKING AVATAR PEDALE!
You distinguish yourself again: The Only Man on Velominati Whose Avatar Looks Like Mario Cipollini But it is Actually You.
Stud. If you ever meet my VMH, I will be keeping a close eye. On her. Not you.
@Blah
Say it with me “Benevolent Dictator”.
@ThinGuy
What’s with the “.” in the post? (I removed it, it was unsightly.) Did you need to type a post in order to enter your picks and that’s your work around? If so, please email me and let me know some details like WTF and what kind of browser you use and such and let me pick your brain. I’ve seen a few people do that and I have no clue; the system should be smart enough not to suck that much.
Anyone else experiencing this, please let me know.
@Mikael Liddy
That’s pretty cool to have a similar problem to Sparty. I bet it feels kind of like this, except @Bill was having the time of his life and you were in a world of shit. Next time: go on Keepers Tour, don’t break your shit.
@Mikael Liddy
That 7-Eleven bar-tape finishing technique on Dag’s bike (and Andy’s of course) is what inspired my own contrast-color under the fizik bit. And that descent? Well, its not so bad at the bottom where the video starts, but up top its mental as shit. The road was carelessly strewn on the cliffs up there and any mistake will send you plummeting into the vast emptiness of death and ultimate wisdom.
@frank Not only that, but I’m pretty sure my vision would take as long as those cameras to adjust to the pitch black of that tunnel. Of course by that time all I’d be seeing is black having come off on what looked like a shockingly slippery road surface & gone head first in to the jagged rock wall!
btw, collarbone recovery issues are most certainly the beginning & end of my comparables to Faboo.
@Nate
Maybe he should have done what Clenbutador did when they called him off the beach in 2008; have a Spanish Steak and not bitch about it.