Velominati Super Prestige: Giro d’Italia 2017

Vincenzo Nibali won the Giro going downhill.

I spy with my little eye a certain Michele Scarponi, who sadly lost his life while out training near his home two weeks ago, in there amongst his teammates after his captain, Nibbles, won the race. I’m torn about a death like Michele’s – we subject ourselves to similar risks every time we climb aboard our bikes and we accept it as part and parcel of our craft. Yet, while every day members of our tribe lose their lives to their trade, it takes a high profile rider to remind us how real that risk is.

But onto lighter topics, Nibali won the Giro last year going downhill, and it happened on the one stage I managed to sleep through which is another way of saying I missed it. But I love waking up to a that WTF feeling only a reshuffled GS can give you.

The race starts Friday morning, which is sooner than I expected, so I’ll stop typing so you can start picking. Get them in by the time the clock goes to zero, and remember that our Grand Tour scoring rules are a little different than the smaller events. So jump on that start list and get prognosticating!

Good luck!

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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.

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View Comments

Kevin says:

May 4 2017 at 5:18 pm

May the 4th be with us!

1. QUINTANA, Nairo

2. YATES, Adam

3. NIBALI, Vincezo

4. DUMOULIN, Tom

5. MOLLEMA, Bauke
John Irvine says:

May 4 2017 at 5:26 pm

1. Quintana

2. Dumoulin

3. Nibali

4. Pinot

5. Krijswijk
Tom Mc says:

May 4 2017 at 5:37 pm

I've got a feeling in my gut that this is the GT where Pinot really challenges for the win, especially seeing as he won't have the crazy pressure of being a Frenchman in July. That feeling is almost certainly wrong, but still.

1. Nairo Quintana

2. Thibaut Pinot

3. Vincenzo Nibali

4. Ilnur Zakarin

5. Adam Yates
Jay says:

May 4 2017 at 6:11 pm

WTF? It's Thursday night and the picks are closed?
Jay says:

May 4 2017 at 6:15 pm

I'm posting my picks, regardless:

1. Quintana

2. Nibali

3. Pinot

4. Mollema

5. Adam Yates
MikeK says:

May 4 2017 at 6:28 pm

1. Nairo Quintana

2. Vincenzo Nibali

3.Steven Kruijswijk

4.Geraint Thomas

5.Bauke Mollema
foggypeake says:

May 4 2017 at 6:36 pm

Closed already??!!

Here are my picks just in case:

1. Vincenzo Nibali

2. Nairo Quintana

3. Steven Kruijswijk

4. Thibault Pinot

5. Mikel Landa
Cary says:

May 4 2017 at 6:42 pm

1 Kruijswick

2 Yates

3 Thomas

4 Pinot

5 van Garderen
freddy says:

May 4 2017 at 7:14 pm

1. Quintana

2. Nibali

3. Kruijswijk

4. Pinot

5. Mollema
stooge says:

May 4 2017 at 7:43 pm

Might as post picks, I suppose.

1. Quintana

2. Nibali

3. Landa

4. Kruijswijk

5. Zakarin

I notice Pinot has been picked quite a lot, and I think he may well be right up there this year. I'd have been comfortable to have him and any of Yates, Thomas, or Pozzovivo in that top 5. Such a big GC field!