Velominati Super Prestige: Giro d’Italia 2015
This is the most exciting thing that’s happened in Cycling since April. Yes, that’s a full two weeks with nothing exciting happening and its been killing me. I know its been killing you, too.
I love the Giro, the master alchemist of bad weather and big mountains that keeps the racing exciting from the first day through the last. You can generally count on enough climbing in the first week to see the leadership bounce around like one of those singing ping pong balls on Sesame Street. The race has its fair share of provenance as well, with many a legendary battle fought between legendary riders.
This year’s race is also remarkable for the fact that a GC rider is not only racing both the Giro and the Tour, but for Contador’s publicly stated objective of doing the Giro-Tour double, a feat not matched since Pantani crushed it back in 1998. That is an awesome goal, I just wish it was a goal set forth by a rider I could get enthusiastic about. A quick scan of the start list has me wondering who is made of the same stuff Bertie, and I’m coming up short. Uran Uran and Pozzovivo are the standouts; and I have serious doubts about Porte being able to come up with the goods, not to mention my boy Ryder who, despite having actually won the Giro, does not inspire confidence in his ability to repeat the feat. It is looking like energy bars may be Contador’s biggest rival for the title, like in last year’s Tour.
Now that I’ve given you three paragraphs of useless drivel that you’ve probably already skipped over, I feel comfortable getting down to Road Tacks. This is the Giro, people, lots of points at stake. And those points are going towards amazing prizes including a Jaeger frame and a Café Roubaix wheelset. There is plenty of time for you to Delgado the thing, too, so my advice is that you avoid doing that. Give yourself enough time to enter your picks so if something has gone amuck, you have time to hit “reload” or come back V minutes later to try again before the event closes. Remember, your procrastination in this matter will not result in the only Keeper with database skills diving into the backend to enter your picks for you. (And if you do encounter a problem, please be so kind as to take a screenshot and upload it as the descriptor “it didn’t work” doesn’t help us debug the problem.)
The scoring for the Grand Tours is a tad more involved than the one-day races, so look them over before making your prognostications. (One of the best things about the VSP is that I usually get to use the word “prognostication”, an opportunity one should always relish.)
So get your picks in before the countdown clock goes to zero, hit the go button, and good luck.
Café Roubaix's CR Wheelworks Arenbergs
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Yahhhhhnnnn
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I’m not sure my earlier picks mapped, as they show up when I log in, but not in the comments, where they might contribute to a drooling 1000 yard stare.
All the favorites have a reason as to why they won’t win, but I think Bertie has enough experience hopefully to ignore Oleg mooning him with his flabby white butt cheeks from the DS car.
Aru is literally all mouth, a Chesire cat who may have accidentally macro’ed his micro-dosing and came up with shit for an excuse. Aru,
Porte is Porte; bad things keep happening in Grand Tours for a reason. It’s not his fault, it’s just him.
I don’t usually not pick someone for doping but Zakarin is a bike change away from beating Tony Martin in a TT too far.
Anyway, it was nice to wear the stripey rainbow jersey for awhile. Thanks for that.
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No one can touch ContHO.
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@dancollins
I I swear on a stack of carbon spacers that I had no idea that I picked the same 5 as you.
@Jay
only two weeks…
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@xyxax
I figured you didn’t pay any attention to my picks. I just thought it would be no fun to have the same picks as the guy right ahead of me. We will probably both be wrong and passed by everyone else anyway!
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@dancollins
That’s the spirit! We’re probably looking at a Nippo-Vini Fantini 1-2-3, anyway.
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Pick the same names as almost everybody else, arrange them in a random order… submit. It would be more fun if the VSP was about trying to pick the Italian from a Pro Continental team who does really well in the first two weeks then gets popped in the third.
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It is shaping up to be a really fascinating race. I suspect though that Alberto is coming in a little under and Richie and Rigo are on song already and climbing and time-trialling very strong.
Watch for Hesjedal. I’d rate him higher as I think he really is back to top level again and has proved to be a consistent performer at the Giro. Unfortunately his team will let him down starting tonight in the TTT.
Anyone remember when Garmin were a force in TTT’s? Orica really took that sport from them.
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@eenies
That’s a great idea – some fun intra-tour special VSP would be cool.
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Somehow my browser only shows a box for 1st place, not 2nd thru 5th. Here are my picks:
1 Contador
2 Porte
3 Aru
4 Atapuma
5 Uran
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Some big gaps there before the racing gets personal. I’m glad I’m not counting on Porte to make up 27 seconds before taking into account his off days.
@Alex
Yep, nothing like being down a minute before anything starts. Garmindale looked like they never practice riding in a paceline, so shabby.
They were a force when they had same serious TT boys like DZ, Millar and Maggie Backstedt to keep the pace up. Maybe this team is all climbers. I hope so, for their sake.
@Chris
With a 60km ITT to come? Even if the rest of the race was flat these gaps wouldn’t mean anything in a couple of weeks.
@ChrisO
remember Porte only has to make up 20 seconds to Contador, but I’m sure he’d rather he didn’t have to…
@ChrisO
You’ve looked at the stage profiles? That’s ungentlemanly behaviour that’s tantamount to cheating.
@piwakawaka
Two weeks in time, yes, but two additional weeks of racing. Time is linear. The additional wear and tear of two additional weeks of racing is cumulative, not linear.
Anyone understand how the Gorilla did not manage to win yesterday’s stage? His legs were bigger than the 1st and 2nd place finishers combined.
@1860
no lead out, Greg where were you, and too long in the wind…he basically led out first and second.
@1860
This would not have helped http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/05/rider-journal/chad-haga-giro-journal-safety-first_369574
Fuckitty fuck. Went away for the weekend and Delgado’d like a bastard. Also, during the weekend away I went for a short ride and snapped a spoke chasing my mate up a hill, and also my knee still hurts a bit.
And I caught a cold, have lost my voice and can only hear out of one ear.
Yes I’m grumpy and you can all shit off.
@RobSandy
I call whinning, is there a Rule? I feel your pain, you had me at the snapped spoke but then it just got ugly, you sound like a geriatric who’s lost the V.
Feel better so you can get in some long km’s.
@1860
That was a long gallop up hill too so the temptation to go early makes for trouble… Here’s what the winner said:
Viviani said he knew Hofland’s was a good wheel to follow after the Dutchman’s victory at the Tour de Yorkshire last week. “I knew he was in good form. Greipel made a really long start to the sprint, perhaps too long. But I knew the final bit was a little bit uphill so I waited for exactly the right moment to start my sprint. I’m really, really happy.”
[ The Emperor voice ] “Good… good… Give in to your anger. With each passing moment you make yourself more my servant.”
Hesjedal — same time.
Ouch, regardless of VSP that doesn’t look good for Pozzovivo.
Don’t like the way he’s lying in the road like that.
@ChrisO
Yeah that didn’t look good at all.
At least the race doctor quote just then was “He’s out of serious life threatening danger”.
Jayzus – first Uran’s main gregario for the hills breaks a collar bone, and now Pozzovivo gone – my Top 5 is taking a hit and we are only in 3rd stage!!
Yech. Lost his front wheel but looking as if sliding on your face like that is not good.
Seems like he’s alright, if a bit beaten up.
I was reading an article just today which mentioned that Jens Voight had done a count in the 2012 Tour and said that 75% of the finishers had hit the deck at least once.
Another writer, Dan Coyle, had estimated that in any given year each and every pro had a 25% chance of spending at least two weeks out injured.
Not a job for the faint-hearted.
@Teocalli
haven’t seen photos – sounds gruesome. hope he is well medicated!