Velominati Super Prestige: Giro d’Italia 2014
For the simple reason that the Cobbled and Ardennes Classics are behind us, I have not alternative but to get back on my soap box about the Giro being the best of the three Grand Tours. Well, usually, at least. Last year’s race sucked the big one (even if it was supremely Rule #9), but for the most part it is the race that is the most closely contested of the three. There are mountains everywhere Italy meaning there are less bunch sprints, the weather is completely unreliable, and the slightly lower calibre of rider seems hungrier. Or maybe the reduced pressure means riders aren’t quite as stressed out and are able to funnel that extra energy into the race.
My favorite Giro is a hard one to pick out, but its either the 1988 Giro when Andy Hampsten took the win after freezing himself stiff with Erik Breukink on the Gavia or when Pantani took his in 1998. I’ve been watching the ’98 Giro during my morning turbo sessions and Merckx-oh-me, that was an All-Drugs Olympics nail-biter. ’98 is also an interesting contrast to ’88; in just a decade, the technology had changed so much but more than that, the doping atmosphere in the sport transformed completely. From Hampsten’s Giro, EPO went from just being dabbled with on the fringes to being abused by leaders and domestiques alike by the time Pantani won. Hampsten wrote a nice piece about racing against dopers in Tyler Hamilton’s book, The Secret Race. He described the various side-effects that the popular drugs of his era had, such as bloating and a tendency to make the user over-estimate their abilities. Amphetamine made the riders do stupid things, cortisone made them retain water, and steroids made them heavy; a clean rider could use those factors to their advantage. A far cry from the rocket fuel that allowed humble domestiques to big ring up major alpine passes.
Why am I talking about drugs? There’s a race starting in a few days, people! This is our first Grand Tour, and the picks are worth more points, not to mention that strategy starts to play into things with the chance to swap your picks out on either of the rest days – at a certain point penalty. Remember that points are not accumulated; the standings on the last day of the race are what kinds, so keep the long game in mind.
Any points you win count towards the overall prizes plus the winner of this event also gets to post for the rest of the year in the pink jersey badge. So check the start list, review the VSP Grand Tour Scoring Guidelines and get your picks in by the time the countdown clock goes to zero at midnight PDT on Friday, May 9th. If you think we mapped one of your picks wrong, use the dispute system and we’ll review it. Also remember to be precise enough in your description so we know which rider you mean; in other words, if you enter “Martin”, we will use our discretion (read: wild guess) to decide if you mean Tony or Dan – and that choice will not be negotiable once the the countdown clock goes to zero. There has also been a recent scourge of people putting a rider in more than one place. Two words: Piti Principle, people! Don’t make me do a bunch of extra programming to keep you from being allowed to submit such an obviously unsportsmanlike set of picks. We will mercilessly clear out all your entries should we find you have attempted this.
Also don’t forget we’ve got three major prizes for the season-long VSP:
- First place overall wins a Veloforma Strada iR Velominati Edition frame in addition to the customary VSP winner’s VVorkshop Apron
- Second place overall wins a set of hand built CR Wheelworks Arenberg wheelset in a custom Velominati paint scheme laced to orange Chris King hubs. (CR Wheelworks is Café Roubaix’s new wheel goods brand.)
- Third place overall wins a full Velominati V-Kit with accompanying custom orange Bont Vaypor+ road shoes.
Good luck, have fun with it, and don’t lose your Rule #43 spirit.
[vsp_results id=”29781″/]
@Pedale.Forchetta
Fantastic pictures as always! Grazie!
@anthony
True, true, true. However, Quintana seems to have adopted an alter-ego of “the Pink Turd” judging by his kit yesterday. Lordy!
@Pedale.Forchetta
THAT, my friend, is just a GREAT shot. Chapeau. If I were him, I would want a copy of that for my future scarp book of racing days gone by. Perfect.
@wiscot
And today he will probably have a bike to match too…………
@Teocalli Looks like they may save that for the final stage, as he’s on a regular bike today. I really wish he’d just wear a pink jersey, though, instead of the helmet, the shorts, the gloves and the socks.
@andrew
Don’t forget the pink sunnies too!
@Pedale.Forchetta
Very Casually Deliberate.
And somehow, through your brilliant photography, you’ve managed to make that POC stuff look half decent.
Chapeau!
@KW
I understand the desire to maximize exposure for the maglia rosa, but sometimes a bit of restraint is a good thing. For Example, Cav as world Champion. Pink jersey, gloves and tape would be ok, beyond that is overkill IMHO.
@KW YES! Those POC (Piece of Crap) helmets are sooooo fuck’in UGLY!!! For God’s sake what are they thinking!!! Seems that they should be able to come up with something better than that.
And BOOOOMMM, there goes Cuddles. Oh well, all of us old farts can still hope that good old Horner makes it back in time for the TdF (Lord help us).
Another nail-biter! Looks like Bad Cadel is making a showing this year, sad to see him slip off the back of the groups so silky smooth.
@Steampunk takes a zero-point lead.
@andrew
David Harmon and Sean had a chat about that yesterday; David seemed to feel he should be riding black or team shorts, and Sean seemed to voice his opinion without saying what he thought.
Goes without saying that to me, the whole matching shorts thing is just so overdone and should be abandoned immediately. Also for the team kits.
@frank
What an awesome race!!! 3rd – 5th within TWO seconds of each other and 3rd – 9th within 2:30 with two REAL stages still to go! Man I love Italy in May!
And come on Steamy!!! Don’t let anyone sneak over the top of the climb and start the descent without you!!!
@frank
What an awesome race!!! 3rd – 5th within TWO seconds of each other and 3rd – 9th within 1:30 with two REAL stages still to go! Man I love Italy in May!
And come on Steamy!!! Don’t let anyone sneak over the top of the climb and start the descent without you!!!
FUCK Me! I really should not post on sites that do not allow editing!!! Realized that my math was bad and thought that I still had time to fix it. Anyways, Goooooo Steampunk!!!
@Buck Rogers
I think Steamy needs a wee guy on a motorbike with a red flag in front of him. “Depending upon the situation, of course” as the Giro organizers might say . . .
@frank
You can be dam,n sure that if Kelly was riding today and winning the green jersey, he’d be wearing black shorts. If he wore all green he’s look like a friggin pedalling leprechaun.
Soo apparently this Stelvio thing is going to be a huge black eye on this year’s race and it won’t go away. BMC seems to still be at the top of the pissed off list and it can’t help their cause anymore that Cadel has begun to slip in the standings. This seems like a long stretch of an idea presented by BMC in this article about a proposed time penalty.
What a ride by Arredondo, great to see him finally getting a stage win after busting his nuts on pretty much every hilly stage to date. Chapeau sir.
Evans on the slide, and my VSP takes yet another hit.
@Geraint
That Arredondo has to be one of the smallest pros ever. That frame of his is tiny! Goes uphill might fast though . . .
@Buck Rogers
Oh, Cadel. It was fun while it lasted. The Giro is the most beautiful race, and has been my VSP target this season. Buck: I’m amazed you’re allowed on the inter tubes at all. I say that with love, of course…
@Yagerbomb
I think it’ll join the long list of “coulda, woulda, shouldas” of cycling. What if Andy hadn’t had his Schleckanical? What if Merckx hadn’t been punched/crashed in 75? What if Froome had really disobeyed team orders in 2012. What if COTHO didn’t dope? etc, etc. The stage is over, the results stand. No way will the Giro folks retroactively deduct time on Quintana. That would set a horrendous precedent and be met with even louder wailing from the teams. It would also totally screw RCS’s credibility forever.
That Fabio Aru, he’s a boy to watch.
This race is never over.
giro bizarro
@wiscot It’s a 50cm frame apparently, which is not miles too small for him as seems to be the usual custom these days. Gearing is 53-36 x 11-28, by the way. I honestly didn’t notice how small he is, because he’s been riding like a stud for over a fortnight in some brutal terrain and conditions. Maglia azzurra should be his.
@unversio giro brutale? Hope Tuft makes it to the end, what a rollercoaster for OGE.
Garmin fotos
Not a patch on pedale.forchetta’s photos but got a last minute flight to Bologna and caught the Giro flying by
I can understand the teams being p*ssed but do they have any idea how it comes across to the average fan? (who if like me really enjoyed that stage, it was epic)
Whinges would probably be better in private and with the aim of making sure stages like that are better handled in future? Perhaps properly enforced neutralised descents?
Or maybe just accepting that stages will take place in snow and if you don’t want to go faster on the descent you don’t have to? Did everyone get down it OK? Is a rider who gains time taking risks on a snowy descent that much different in principle to one who takes massive risks on a dry descent(probably at greater speed)?
Those questions aren’t necessarily rhetorical; I’m used to descending on my own and the only time I’ve done it ‘racing’ was mtb xc where crashes are more common but less dangerous so I’m largely ignorant about the implications in a road race at any level. I’m sure it’s very different descending in a chasing bunch on icy roads. Minimising needless risk while keeping the character of the sport must be a difficult balancing act.
@Rhodri
There’s no practical way to neutralise a race on a descent if the riders don’t all agree (with current technology anyway).
The riders and team directors all know it, and all you are hearing is just noise.
I suppose it is vaguely possible that a minor time penalty will be imposed, but the Giro organisers will make sure the race is completely decided before considering that – they want to make sure the “penalty” is small enough that it won’t change the result.
Everyone knows nothing will happen to change the results of the race on the road.
Eurosport scoring a FAIL by showing Tennis instead of the Giro per their schedule.
Dan R posted this pic up on faceplant and it made me think: Who could pull of this level of coolness in the peloton today, standing with cigar in hand? I am saying that Sparticus and Tommeke could do it but who else?
Damn! Picture did not post. I’ll try again and, when it most likely does not post, just add evidence to Steampunk’s assertion that I really do not belong on the interweb.
Man that TT course has got to be one of the most beautiful ever!
I really need Evans to pull this one out, I don’t care what it takes, drugs, pumped blood, 79 Italian virgins at the finish line… Just DO it Good Cadel!!*
*really, it’s not about beating Steampunk
@Rob
I hear you, Brother. It’s purely all of us old men standing together and trying to believe that the world is not ruled by 2o-something year olds! Gooooo Cuddles!!! Hell I just want him to do well b/c I actually like the guy. And hopefully Ryder will pull off a great ride and jump up ijnto the Top 5 as well. And he’s not even in my VSP.
Honestly, Quintana looks like he’s got an oversize easter egg on his head and 60s go-go dancer’s boots on his feet.
DAMN! Big shake up going on in the 3-9th slots.
@Buck Rogers From this film I guess:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQxyxant3Yk
(2 minutes 40 for the short of attention span)
OK, so I like Nairo, but WHAT THE FUCKING HELL IS GOING ON WITH THOSE TALL FUCKING BOOTIES? That’s enough to make me hate a rider right there. Disgraceful.
Rolland is shaping up quickly to fill my Dirty Schlecky Love void.
Looks like Steamy peaked too soon and @il muro di manayunk takes over the VSP Giro lead. Its still a three-way tie, and I’m guessing there will be some tired leggs tomorrow.
Whoa. Well, tomorrow will be even more of a nail biter for me.
Frank, I too like Nairocito, he is seemingly very modest or shy, I can’t tell which. My guess before we are to hard on him is that he is going with what the team puts in front of him?
On the other hand I think the whole get up looks sort of cute and hot… £;~}
Quintana puts more time into Uran today, and says he’ll probably attack on Monte Zoncolan tomorrow.
I’m hopeful we can put this business from Stage 16 to rest now. Quintana is clearly in a different class right now.
I’ve got a feeling Aru and Pozzo will move up a place after tomorrow’s climb…which will also suit my VSP.
@frank
Thought the same. He looked like a Tijuana hooker.
@Rob
On the other hand I think the whole get up looks sort of cute and hot… £;~}
WTF is happening here? A Faboo-like man-crush? AND emoticons?!
For shame
@wiscot
I spoke with a cycling journalist pal. He said Phinney is lucky to be alive. Went head first into a metal guard rail and I think his leg was “fulcrumed” on the vertical support post. Yikes. He said he’s done for 2014, but feels it’s very likely he might never regain/reach his peak form. That’s how hard he went into the railing. I hope he’s wrong, that would be a huge shame to not see what he can do with his genes and dedication.
Also, he said he’s covered numerous U.S. races in person and the moto drivers in the U.S. mostly have no idea how fast the PROs on bicycles can descend. He said many of them have no business working cycling races.
I saw a report that Horner thinks he might ride the Tour. Hard to believe.
Hmm, could il muro di manayunk win the Giro VSP the same weekend as the Phila Cycling Classic? That would be…classic!
@unversio
From 1st in Stage 1 to likely the lanterne rouge at the end–and everything in between–Svein is one tuft cookie. I’m proud to share a country with the likes of him and Ryder.
@freddy
And here I thought Garmin was gutted only having 4 riders left. Huge RESPECT for Svein and Ryder my fellow countrymen
@Tartan1749
Ha – I thought nobody was paying attention… it was done to tweek Frank and the e’s hair style was supposed to be camouflage…. Although I have been known to wear a skirt occasionally because reel men love tae dance too!