Velominati Super Prestige: Giro d’Italia 2013, Stage 10

Altopiano del Montasio. Photo via Cycling Passion

Day 5 of the Six Days of the Giro continues with an impromptu VSP event.

Lets have a look at where we are in the 2013 Giro. Wiggins must have spent time training in Luxembourg because he’s been descending like a Schleck when things get dodgy before disappearing into the team van to have a cry about it. Hesjedal has put in some good moves and then proceeded to get creamed in the time trial before getting shelled on the last climb in yesterday’s stage. Evans seems to be riding like he did when he won the Tour though he’s sure to get sick before very much longer, as appears to be his usual approach to racing. Perhaps the biggest shock is that Gesink has managed to both stay in contention and on his bike. And Nibbles is killing it, proving once again that moving to a team with a long history of doping is usually all anyone needs to convert from contender to winner.

We’ve also had climbs, rain, rain, climbs, turns, descents, twists, rain, climbs, and more rain. The Giro is proving once again why it is the best Grand Tour of the year.

In honor of the first big climbing stage and with the time gaps already big enough to suggest some bigger, gutsier moves from some of those riders who have already lost time, this could be a zinger. Most likely some wild cards will escape and stay away, which makes naming your picks even harder than usual, but surely the favorites who are already behind will lay down massive helpings of the V to try to claw time back. The irony is not lost on me that the climb has the word piano in it, when you know the last thing that would ever happen is that they would ride up there at an easy tempo.

Get your picks in by the time the clock goes to zero. There isn’t much time, so get to it.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

Next Descendeur »

Previous « Pink or Yellow?

View Comments

xyxax says:

May 13 2013 at 11:56 am

I pick like a bit of a girl really...not to disrespect girls, I have two at home.

VSP PICKS:

1. Rabottini
2. Atapuma
3. Gatto
4. Nibali
5. Evans
DeanM says:

May 13 2013 at 11:58 am

Prediction: Sammy tests the group and falls back, than blasts off for the win in the final 15km.

VSP PICKS:

1. Sammy Sanchez
2. Tommy D(anielson)
3. Michele Scarponi
4. The Australian fellow (Evans)
5. Vinny Nibali
chuck says:

May 13 2013 at 12:07 pm

Wait... Oh- Isn't this the Tele-tubbies fan club page? Sorry wrong website.

VSP PICKS:

1. Nibbles
2. Cuddles
3. Wiggles
4. Po
5. Tinky-Winky
Steampunk says:

May 13 2013 at 12:11 pm

VSP PICKS:

1. M. Santambrogio
2. C. Betancur
3. B. Intxausti
4. B. Wiggins
5. M. Scarponi
Steampunk says:

May 13 2013 at 12:12 pm

@snoov

For giggles: ask an Irish person to pronounce "garage."
VeloVita says:

May 13 2013 at 12:13 pm

@snoov

By 'the Irish guy' do you mean Sean Kelly?

As far as the Eurosport commentary goes, I'll take their worst commentator over the Steve Schlanger or Todd Gogulski crap we get for US racing.
Amelia says:

May 13 2013 at 12:18 pm

VSP PICKS:

1. Nibbles
2. Wiggo
3. Evans
4. Uran
5. Hesjedal
Sauterelle says:

May 13 2013 at 12:19 pm

@xyxax

I pick like a bit of a girl really...not to disrespect girls, I have two at home.

VSP PICKS:

1. Rabottini
2. Atapuma
3. Gatto
4. Nibali
5. Evans

You pick the riders you think are the cutest?
Deakus says:

May 13 2013 at 12:20 pm

Er I am confused...are we running a second VSP just for stage 10? I made my swaps but I've got 2 VSP banners at the top of the page.....?
Sauterelle says:

May 13 2013 at 12:20 pm

@snoov

What I hate about Eurosport though is the ignorance of the pundits when it comes to pronouncing the riders names. Isn't it the case that in the Latin languages the second to last vowel gets the stress (if it ends in a vowel) , unless there is an accent over a letter (MÃ¡laga, Barcelona, Madrid)? Maybe I'm just thinking about Spanish and maybe the Colombians speak it differently. What's doing my head in is the Irish guy who keeps saying PANtano instead of PanTAno. He'd say PanTAni whouldn't he? I need to check the rules. All road races are named as they are in the country in which they occur but do we give the same respect to the riders?

I had to go back to Sporza after watching only a few races on Eurosport for this very reason!