Velominati Super Prestige

Velominati Super Prestige: Giro D’Italia 2013

Pink Ryder photo:REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo
Pink Ryder photo:REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo

Twiggo is dreaming of a Giro-Tour double. He has sent out mixed messages about his Tour ambitions. Will he use the Giro as the ultimate Tour preparation or will be burn all his matches in May and hope he can find another pack for July? He has abandoned his successful 2012 Tour run-up strategy of winning every stage race he entered the previous spring. Now it’s the seclusion of Mount Doom of Tenerife, his coach and his watt meter his only competition. Team Sky is supporting Wig with a very strong squad, including superman, Kanstantsin Siutsou and with Cav no longer a teammate, it’s all the knights of the round table for Sir Twig.

Will the curse of the god-awful Astana kit continue to haunt non-Kazahk riders? Can Vincenzo’s Italian mojo overpower its powerful pale blue and yellow aura? Roman Kreuziger was finally able to win a big race once he shed that kit and pulled on one of Bjarne’s Saxo jerseys. Maybe it was more Bjarne and less jersey that made the difference.

Ryder gets no respect as the defending champion. His little dance at the end of Liége-Bastogne-Liége showed he is fit and ready for a fight. He can time trial, he can climb. Personally I have to back the local boy. And I always hate the overpowered, overwhelming favorite (read Team Sky here) in any race, unless that racer is Fabian Cancellara. No one can say Fabs has won a race this year surrounded with a team as strong as Sky’s. The Shack is just the Shack or a shack. Once Cancellara leaves for the Swiss “I AM” team, it’s lights out in the shack. Frandy, don’t forget to turn out ’em out when you leave.

If Cavendish wins the first day’s sprinter’s stage he will be in pink. He may be out of it after stage two, a team time trial.

But this is the Giro: crazy, unexpected, beautiful things can happen. The spinning wheels of fortuna are less predictable in Italy as they are in France in July. The betting window is now open. The complete start list is not yet available, an incomplete one is here and shall be updated soon. So sleep on your picks, wait for all the teams to make it official, unless you want to go with the obvious all Sky podium. The race begins Saturday so don’t Delgado away a Grand Tour opportunity.

[vsp_results id=”23343″/]

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1,031 Replies to “Velominati Super Prestige: Giro D’Italia 2013”

  1. VSP PICKS:

    1. Nibali
    2. Hesjedal
    3. Santambrogio
    4. Wiggo
    5. Scarponi

  3. VSP PICKS:

    1. B. Wiggins
    2. R. Hesjedal
    3. V. Nibali
    4. S. Sanchez
    5. M. Scarponi

  4. too hilly for the Brit. It’s Nibbles year, especially since he’s going to kick Wiggo’s ass on Stage 18.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Nibbles
    2. Modfather
    3. Red Ryder
    4. Cuddles
    5. Scraps Only

  5. I. AM. CANADIAN.

    But I don’t drink that swill.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Hesjedal
    2. Wiggo
    3. Nibali
    4. Scarponi
    5. Gesink

  7. I was thinking of only drinking Italian booze during the giro. During my unextensive research I learnt that Italy has the lowest Consumption of beer in Europe. Can this be true?

  8. Anyone else thinking that with half the field being Colombian there is bound to be a suprise in the top  five?

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Nibali
    2. Wiggins
    3. Hesjedal
    4. Scarponi
    5. Betancur

  13. VSP PICKS:

    1. Wiggins
    2. Hesjedal
    3. Sergio Henao
    4. Rigoberto Urán
    5. Nibali

  14. Sorry Ryder. Your name must end in a vowel (preferably an “i”) to win this years Giro.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Vinny Nibali
    2. Ryder Hesjedal(i)
    3. Michele Scarponi
    4. Ivan Basso
    5. Stefano Garzelli

  15. @scaler911 – Dunno about that matey – there’s nothing over 6.5% there…I think Wiggins is going to beast it. Nibble’s only hope is to isolate him on 19/20. I think 19s going to be all about marking and maybe a sole break from a non-gc contender. 20 has got the Passo Giau that will really hurt Wiggins but it’s a way from the end and I don’t reckon Nibbles has the legs to smash it in from there. He might pull a minute or so on the last descent I suppose….he is a bit of a descending god.

    too hilly for the Brit. It’s Nibbles year, especially since he’s going to kick Wiggo’s ass on Stage 18.

     

  16. VSP PICKS:

    1. Wiggins
    2. Nibali
    3. Hesjedal
    4. Scarponi
    5. Santambrogio

  18. @Pedale.Forchetta

    I’ll follow to stages of the Giro, the Saltara time trial and the next day the one to Florence. I hope to be able to invent something good, there will be fantastic riders and fantastic people there to photograph…

    Can’t wait, you’re the best around mate!

  19. @Mikael Liddy

    Best get these picks straightened out before the Velomifoetus arrives…looks like I’ll be spending the next day or so in the hospital!

    Boom! Congrats and good luck man! We had b+2 yesterday also, you can’t do anything in hospital, best get on the bike and get the last rides in before bubs gets home, right? Yeah, right….

  20. @motor city

    @Nate

    Great piece by Robert Millar on Wiggo’s questionable timing for bringing up TdF leadership. Predicts the Italian press- which loves the polemica “” will have a field day with this throughout the Giro.

    I read that piece. Robert Millar is a great writer.

    “Gesink may surprise as much as he may fall off.”

    Gold.

  21. I’m hoping I’m wrong with my tips and the Skybots fail. But at least I’ll get points if I’m unhappy.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Wiggins
    2. Hesjedal
    3. Nibali
    4. Scarponi
    5. Gesink

  22. Wiggo Wiggo Wiggo

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Wiggins
    2. Nibali
    3. Scarponi
    4. Hesjedal
    5. Evans

  23. My VSP has been terrible this year. I hope this dosent mean that Wiggins will miss the double.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Wiggins
    2. Nibali
    3. Scarponi
    4. Kiserlovski
    5. Evans

  24. And Cav to take the first pink jersey on Saturday and finish in the red points jersey…

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Nibali
    2. Wiggins
    3. Sanchez
    4. Hesjedal
    5. Betancur

  25. @motor city

    I was thinking of only drinking Italian booze during the giro. During my unextensive research I learnt that Italy has the lowest Consumption of beer in Europe. Can this be true?

    Italian – Wine only! I don’t think you can stomp on hops!

  26. Facebook message on Giro from Franco Chioccioli. “L’assenza di Basso peserà nella spettacolarità di questo giro?”

    VSP PICKS:

    1. WIGGINS Sir Bradley
    2. SCARPONI Michele
    3. NIBALI Vincenzo
    4. DEGENKOLB John
    5. DI LUCA Danilo

  27. VSP PICKS:

    1. Wiggins
    2. Nibali
    3. Gesink
    4. Sanchez
    5. Hesjedal

  29. VSP PICKS:

    1. Wiggins
    2. Nibali
    3. Hesjedal
    4. Evans
    5. Gesink

  30. VSP PICKS:

    1. Wiggins
    2. Nibali
    3. Hesjedal
    4. Gesink
    5. Scarponi

  31. Think it’s time Evans handed over the baton.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. NIbali
    2. Hesjedahl
    3. Wiggins
    4. di Luca
    5. Phinney

  33. @Beers

    @Mikael Liddy

    Best get these picks straightened out before the Velomifoetus arrives…looks like I’ll be spending the next day or so in the hospital!

    Boom! Congrats and good luck man! We had b+2 yesterday also, you can’t do anything in hospital, best get on the bike and get the last rides in before bubs gets home, right? Yeah, right….

    Nice. Congrats! Side bet on how many hours go by before you check back on VM?

  34. @Joe

    @scaler911 – Dunno about that matey – there’s nothing over 6.5% there…I think Wiggins is going to beast it. Nibble’s only hope is to isolate him on 19/20. I think 19s going to be all about marking and maybe a sole break from a non-gc contender. 20 has got the Passo Giau that will really hurt Wiggins but it’s a way from the end and I don’t reckon Nibbles has the legs to smash it in from there. He might pull a minute or so on the last descent I suppose….he is a bit of a descending god.

    too hilly for the Brit. It’s Nibbles year, especially since he’s going to kick Wiggo’s ass on Stage 18.

    No, I considered that. I think what people are overlooking is how well Astana is set up for this Giro. They don’t care about TdF, so it’s “all in” for them. Sky has a lot of obligations this year, and hasn’t really lived up to the hype. I’ll end up with a zero of course.

  35. Hard to find a smokey but Betancur is my man. I may have missed the memo but last I knew Phinney was an average climber at best, he’s out.

    So Nibbles will go down hill so quick Beaker will be reduced to tears of fear and start tweeting about his Tour leadership. Ryder because he is a tough bastard and Cadel to hang in there. I can’t wait, plenty early mornings coming up!

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Nibbles
    2. Ryder
    3. Beaker
    4. Betancur
    5. Cuddles

  38. @sthilzy

    @motor city

    I was thinking of only drinking Italian booze during the giro. During my unextensive research I learnt that Italy has the lowest Consumption of beer in Europe. Can this be true?

    Italian – Wine only! I don’t think you can stomp on hops!

    But, can you hop on stomps?

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Hesjedahl
    2. Evans
    3. Nibali
    4. Scarponi
    5. Wiggins

  41. @Daccordi Rider

    And no one picking Pozzato?

    Ok then.

    And I’ll make the rest of my picks just as ridiculous.

    Jackson Rodriguez solely because his name is always the first one that comes up when everyone picks the other Rod and it’ll save an extra click.

    Ji Cheng. Raising awareness of Chinese cycling. Doesn’t dare say anything about the government.

    Darwin Atapuma Hurtado. He’s gonna put on the Hurtado like Juli Furtado. Or not. Probably.

    Garzelli, because that guy must be as old as me by now…

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Chip
    2. Liza Garzelli
    3. Darwin Atapuma Hurtado
    4. Ji Cheng
    5. J2R2

  42. @la plaque

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Wiggins
    2. Hesjedal
    3. Sergio Henao
    4. Rigoberto Urán
    5. Nibali

    3/5 for sky…. lord above I hope you are wrong, don’t take that personally though.

  45. VSP PICKS:

    1. Wiggins
    2. Nibali
    3. Scarponi
    4. Santabrogio
    5. Heano

  46. VSP PICKS:

    1. Basso
    2. Phinney
    3. Nibbles
    4. Hurtado
    5. Tiralongo

  47. HMMM, think people will be picking up big points here

    VSP PICKS:

    1. WIGGO
    2. HESJEDAL
    3. NIBALI
    4. BETANCUR
    5. SCARPONI

  48. Thanks all for the well wishes. Velomifoetus (officially known as Sebastian Liddy) made his arrival around 11pm night. If yesterday confirmed one thing, it’s that as much as we talk about suffering on a bike, it’s nothing compared to child birth. The VMH showed more V in a few hours than I’m pretty sure I will ever accumulate on a bike!

  49. Boring to go for the favourites I know but I need some points desperately..  Nice to see RadioShack turning into team NZ – go Rolly roulston

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Vinny Nibbles
    2. Wiggo
    3. Scarponi
    4. Hesjedal
    5. Cadel

  50. @Benny

    Wigging out – nice one.. Watching him hurl a $15,000 road bike at a wall makes me think he needs to stop taking it so seriously

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