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″/]
Just wasn’t thrilled with my Dan Martin pick. Going with Arredondo for a breakthrough. He’s looked pretty good this spring, and could be Trek’s new GC hope.
VSP PICKS:
1. Nairo Quintana
2. Joaquim Rodriguez
3. Rigoberto Uran
4. Cadel Evans
5. Julian Arredondo
Those of you that touted Pozzovivo, you may want to check your pick mapping as mine defaulted to Potato, which I’ve promptly disputed.
VSP PICKS:
1. J Rod
2. Quintana
3. Scarponi
4. Uran
5. Dan Martin
(right to left) 1st, 2nd, 3rd
Usual wild guesses here but I’m so far behind in the VSP it really makes no difference. Hoping Danny Boy will do the deed. Cadel’s a wily old fox who’ll play it smart. Quintana will look good then blow one day. Uran and Rodriguez will fight for scraps. Ryder will go crazy for a day or two. Kittel will win multiple stages. Maybe Roche will step up as a dark horse. Basso will do SFA.
VSP PICKS:
1. Dan Martin
2. Cadel Evans
3. Nairo Quintana
4. Rigoberto Uran
5. Joaquim Rodriguez
@t-Dot-toronto
Bud, you’ve got to put the names in the wee boxes or they won’t register or count. Mind you, I put mine in the boxes and they’re just as worthless.
VSP PICKS:
1. Rodriguez
2. Quintana
3. Porte
4. Uran
5. Pozzovivo
Reckon cuddles will get hammered on the mountain TT
VSP PICKS:
1. Quintana
2. Rodriguez
3. Pozzovivo
4. Uran
5. Scarponi
VSP PICKS:
1. Dan Martin
2. Joaquim Rodriguez
3. Rigoberto Uran
4. Nairo Quntana
5. Cadel Evans
VSP PICKS:
1. Rigoberto Uran
2. JoaquÃm RodrÃguez Oliver
3. Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas
4. Domenico Pozzovivo
5. Damiano Cunego
VSP PICKS:
1. Dan Martin #pandapower
2. Good Cadel
3. Quintana
4. D. Pozzovivo
5. R. Uran Uran Uran Uran
VSP PICKS:
1. Nairo Quintana
2. Cadel Evans
3. Joaquim Rodriguez
4. Rigoberto Uran
5. Domenico Pozzovivo
VSP PICKS:
1. Purito
2. RIgo Duran Uran
3. Cuddles
4. Pozzovivo
5. Quintana
VSP PICKS:
1. Nairo Quintana
2. Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver
3. Cadel Evans
4. Rigoberto Uran
5. Julian Arredondo
I’m going mostly with old age and treachery for this one.
VSP PICKS:
1. Joaquin Rodriguez
2. Cadel Evans
3. Nairo Quintana
4. Domenico Pozzovivo
5. Steven Kruijswijk
VSP PICKS:
1. Rodriguez, J
2. Quintana, N
3. Uran, R
4. Pozzovivo, D
5. Scarponi, M
VSP PICKS:
1. Quintana
2. Uran
3. Rodriguez
4. Evans
5. Pozzovivo
Slapped in a dutchy to compensate for all the tiny tanned people who need first place to be even slightly averagely tall. And I’m counting on some attempt at fireworks by Tom Jelte Slagter dropping Hesjedal somewhere along the way, just to make a point. Happy cravings!
VSP PICKS:
1. Quintana
2. Uran
3. Roche
4. Rodriguez
5. Kelderman
Take top 5 picks. Randomly sort. Makes not a lot of difference as I suspect this will see my chances of taking a podium finish in the VSP go from ‘f— all’ to ‘f— all’
The one certainty from all of this is that Cadel will give multiple interviews where he appears to be either a) crying or b) on the verge of tears or c) has just finished crying
VSP PICKS:
1. Evans
2. J-Rod
3. Pozzovivo
4. Quntana
5. Uran
changes.
VSP PICKS:
1. Quintana, N
2. Uran
3. Evans
4. Niemiec
5. Arredondo
changes.
VSP PICKS:
1. Uran
2. Quintana
3. J-Rod
4. Evans
5. Pozzovivo
Wow. This is a tough one. I had to leave Quintana out. I am sure to regret it for my VSP. But then, I am sure to regret most of my choices. Monfort is a good dark horse top 5.
VSP PICKS:
1. Good Cadel
2. Purito
3. Rigoberto Urán
4. Dan Martin
5. Maxime Monfort
VSP PICKS:
1. Evans
2. Qintana
3. J Rod
4. Uran
5. Dan Martin
VSP PICKS:
1. Nairo Quintana
2. Cadel Evans
3. Joaquim Rodriguez
4. Dan Martin
5. Uran Rigoberto
I feel it’s Nairo’s time to stand on the top step. I think Purito will give him a push and I’d love to see UU stay consistent for the whole 3 weeks, but I think the Monte Grappa will set up perfectly for Quintana to put his stamp on the race. I’m also throwing in Scarponi for one last hurrah to hit a top 5.
But I’m in 15o somethingth place, so what do I know….
VSP PICKS:
1. Quintana Poo
2. JRod
3. dUran dUran
4. Pozzovivo
5. Scarponi
VSP PICKS:
1. J rod
2. Quintana
3. Cadel
4. Pozzovivo
5. Uran
Listen up people, I’m entering one of these for the first time since the Cobble Classics started. (I don’t enter those on account of my superstition and not wanting to jinx the riders I want to win.) And then I was away during the Ardennes. So I’m back and I’ve stored up all my prognostication, so check it out.
Dan FUCKING Martin take the cake with Cuddle crying his way into second. From there its Columbians and dopers. Wait, is that redundant? I honestly don’t know.
VSP PICKS:
1. Dan FUCKING Martin
2. Cuddle Me Timbers
3. Quintanna Roo
4. Uran Uran
5. J Rod
@frank your #1 is no Sean Kelly, just saying…
Mine had also mapped to Potato. I’ll resubmit here with correct names or known nicknames, and will stop stuffing round with joke names in future as it must be a pita for the keepers…
VSP PICKS:
1. Nairo Quintana
2. joaquin Rodriguez
3. Uran Uran
4. Cuddles
5. Domenico Pozzovivo
@strathlubnaig
we both picked the same guy for #5. Im hoping he animates the race a bit like he did during the classics. also the fact that he isnt mapped by the system makes me all the more hopefull cause he might be a true under dog in this fight for pink.
Quintana Rojas – THE BEST CLIMBER – MAGLIA AZZURRA
VSP PICKS:
1. Nairo Quintana
2. Rigoberto Uran
3. JoaquÃm RodrÃguez
4. Cadel Evans
5. Rafal Majka
Rearranging, and Pozzovivo in for Scarponi. Have to have an Italian in the top 5 at the Giro.
VSP PICKS:
1. Nairo Quintana
2. JRod
3. Cadel Evans
4. Uran Uran
5. Domenico Pozzovivo
VSP PICKS:
1. n quintana
2. j rodriguez
3. c evans
4. r uran
5. d pozzovivo
VSP PICKS:
1. C Evans
2. N Quintana
3. R Uran
4. D Pozzovivo
5. J Rodriguez
VSP PICKS:
1. Pozzovivo
2. Rodriguez
3. Martin
4. Qunitana
5. Evans
VSP PICKS:
1. Quintana
2. Rodriguez
3. Martin
4. Uran
5. Evans
VSP PICKS:
1. Purito
2. Good Cadel
3. Quintana
4. Dan Martin
5. Pozzovivo
VSP PICKS:
1. Rigoberto Uran
2. Cadel Evans
3. Nairo Quintana
4. Domenico Pozzovivo
5. JoaquÃm RodrÃguez
VSP PICKS:
1. Rodriguez
2. Quintana
3. Evans
4. Uran
5. Pozzovivo
VSP PICKS:
1. rodriguez
2. quintana
3. scarponi
4. evans
5. martin
@Chui
VSP PICKS:
1. Quintana
2. Evans
3. Rodriguez
4. Uran
5. Martin
VSP PICKS:
1. Quintana
2. Evans
3. Dan Martin
4. Rodriquez
5. Cadel
VSP PICKS:
1. Nairo Quintana
2. Cadel Evans
3. Joaquim Rodriguez
4. Dan Martin
5. Julien Arredondo
VSP PICKS:
1. Evans
2. Rodriguez
3. Quintana
4. Martin
5. Uran
VSP PICKS:
1. Uran
2. Jrod
3. Quintana
4. Cadel
5. Martin
VSP PICKS:
1. Uran
2. Jrod
3. Quintana
4. Cadel
5. Dan Martin
VSP PICKS:
1. Quintana
2. Uran
3. Jrod
4. Cadel
5. Dan Martin
@frank
I’ve never seen bravery and stupidity go so thoroughly, and so consistently hand in hand as when its you make your VSP picks. Congrat – u – fucking – lations.