The inaugural Velominati Super Prestige continues the with Giro d’Italia, on Saturday May 8 in Amsterdam. This will be the first Grand Tour of the series, and while we have a set of rules established for the competition, we’ll be modifying them as we go if we notice any problems with them.
Personally, I feel the Giro is the Cyclist’s Grand Tour; it’s not as main-stream or commercial as the Tour de France, but the race generally makes for a more exciting three weeks. There is something about the topography and geography of Italy that seems to lend itself to unpredictable and aggressive racing where several riders typically stay in contention until the final stages of the race.
With this being the first Grand Tour of the series, we’ve set up a scoring system that we think will be fair but will also help to close down the competition and afford newcomers the ability to catch up with some good picks. Jump over to the VSP Schedule, Rules, & Results page for a full explanation of the rules and the standings, but here is the ten-second overview:
Every contestant is to choose their top five General Classification picks of the race. The final podium of the Giro is worth 15 points to the winner, 10 points for second, 5 points for third, 3 points for fourth, and 2 point for fifth. Given the effect crashes can have on a tour, we’ve set up some guidelines around making changes to your lineup during the race: you’re allowed to change your lineup if any rider in your pick list drops out for any reason without any penalty; rest days will allow contestants to make changes to their lineup, however those changes will come at a point penalty. (Visit the VSP Schedule, Rules, & Results page for a complete breakdown of these points.)
Every day, the leader in the points standings will have the honor of wearing the Pink Jersey when commenting on the site; the overall winner will wear the Pink Jersey for the remainder of the season, and will also earn an “Obey the Rules” bumper sticker. All reader’s points qualify towards the final prize of the free Velominati Shop Apron. As always, if you are inclined to enter, simply post your predictions for the top five placings in the comment section.
Sub-competitions will be conducted while the Giro is underway for specific stages. These stages will be chosen a few days prior to the stage being held and will be selected based on the current race conditions with the aim of choosing the most decisive and exciting stages of the race, so check back often to make sure you don’t miss out.
Good luck!
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Ahh...poor Arashiro. What an amazing blast in the last K to get pipped at the line. They would definitely have got swallowed up if not for that...
Rule 5 Joe, its all about tactics, no matter that he was blind by the breakaway effort, that there was no gas in the tank beyond that effort that won him 3rd, he had choices and in the split seconds of that moment he made the weak choice - his effort was admirable but not what Miyamoto Musashi would have done...
@Joe, @Rob
So, how do we think his countrymen would have felt if he won the first ever Japanese GT stage aboard a Campy-equipped bike? Rather than commit Seppuku by framepump, he probably just bagged the sprint and led it out like a dillweed.
Had he won, we would have had to add a new entry to The Lexicon for Arash-Hero.
@all
No changes to the standings today:
Standings after Stage 5:
1 Joe: 10 points
2 Frank: 2 points
3 Marko: 1 point
4 Geof: 1 point
5 Robert Marques: 1 point
6 Brett: 0 points
7 Rob: 0 points
8 John: 0 points
9 Nathan Edwards: 0 points
10 Jarvis: 0 points
Robert Marques maintains leadership by virtue of choosing a higher-placed rider among bonus point riders (his Nibali in third beats Geof's Basso in fifth).
@frank It was a good ride and if I was of the rising sun just to have him there is awesome. Remember when folks like Boyer were doing it for us? Plus they love Campy some guy told me I could sell my derailleur for $500 in Japan.
@Rob
Well, that's still a losing game, because they are selling US THEIR dérailleurs for $900.
That groupset on your Raleigh, by the way, is art.
@frank
You know what I really like about old school is that it is so minimalist. When you look at them head on you're just on some skinney tubes and wires and a patch of rubber. The track bike is even better!
I would love a $10,000 bike but until I win the lottery, even if I had the money now it would not be so much better than my old girls.
@Rob
It was only a matter of time before Toshiro Mifune graced this website. Well done. And a perfect lesson for young Arashiro, poor bastard, trapped on the B-Box team. But good on him for getting in a long break and staying away, even for 3rd, despite being on B-Box.
@john
Konichi wa John-o san. I am shocked, never before? - the ultimate Hardman...(and Toshiro Mifune does him so well).
I was sad but happy for Arashiro san.
Crazy day of racing (which I watched on my iPhone - streaming live from Italy). With Veino and Karpets on the leaderboard, we have updated standings with Joe taking the lead:
1 Joe: 10 points
2 Frank: 5 points
3 Brett: 5 points
4 Geof: 4 points
5 Jarvis: 3 points
6 Marko: 1 point
7 Robert Marques: 1 point
8 Rob: 0 points
9 John: 0 points
10 Nathan Edwards: 0 points