Velominati Super Prestige: Giro d’Italia

Ivan Basso leads the 2006 Giro before illness forced him out of the lead.

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!

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

Nathan Edwards says:

May 24 2010 at 10:50 am

@frank
I'll take the less point penalty version of
1. Cadel
2. Basso
3. Sastre
4. Scarponi
5. Cunego
Jarvis says:

May 24 2010 at 12:28 pm

Rest day re-shuffle? No, think I'll stick on these.

@john, did I not explain my dislike of Jens, or was it on another thread. Too old-school for my liking (regards doping), was generally one of the first the English-speaking media would go to for quotes after their de-briefed by Lance and never spoke out convincingly against doping.

@Brett the difference with Basso could be down to one word, or name, Sassi. Same trainer as Evans, for the very deliberate reason that Sassi is anti-doping. Now that doesn't stop Basso doing what he wants to in his spare time, but for now I'll give him the benefit. Remember, the chances are that Basso has targeted the Giro, while Evans is still probably wanting the Tour.

@frank can you do that telepathy again ust before tomorrows TT? Ta.
brett says:

May 24 2010 at 12:46 pm

Can I throw Basso in for Garzelli please... how much is that?
frank says:

May 24 2010 at 1:09 pm

@Nathan Edwards
Done.

@brett
Sure. 4 point penalty. I've taken you down for it, but you can reverse it so long as you do it before the race starts.
frank says:

May 24 2010 at 1:13 pm

@Jarvis
Jarvis, I think it best you never raise this subject again. Seriously. I'm struggling with it.

Whatever his position on doping, the dude can harden up. 'Nuff said.

As regards Sasi, there's cool piece on CN regarding climbing rates. If his math is any good, both Basso and Evans were within the realistic realm of speed/wattage for the climb:

Basso's power to weight ratio was 5.68w/kg. In the past Sassi has said that any value over 6.2w/kg for a long effort on a major climb at the end of a stage race could be an indication of doping.
Jarvis says:

May 24 2010 at 1:33 pm

@frank best you keep struggling then...I'll take Thor over jens any time. Thor will Smash.
frank says:

May 25 2010 at 6:14 am

OK, swapping Basso and Sastre for an 8-point penalty:

1) ~~Sastre~~ Basso
2) Evans
3) ~~Basso~~ Sastre
4) Veino
5) Nibali
Rob says:

May 25 2010 at 6:51 am

frank :@Rob
Yeah, your first choice is a 16 point penalty, and technically you are too late with your substitution on Petacci for that to be free. So, your second choice is actually at an 8 point penalty. Sorry, I'd love to let you off on that one, but the rules are the rules. I'd hate to have Geof come in here and get all on up in our faces about all that lawyerly crap.
Let me know if you want to proceed with the 8 point penalty.

I have never "knowingly" broken The Rules and I can't start now. I thought DNFs got a pass?(Quote VSP rules re: "DNF: If a rider in a contestant's pick list withdraws from the race for any reason (including doping offenses, illness), the contestant shall be allowed to make full changes to their picks.") So I go with the second.

1.) Cunego
2.) Basso (new -4)
3.) Evans
4.) Sastre
5.) Scarponi (new for Petacchi -4)

Thanks
frank says:

May 25 2010 at 9:12 am

@Rob
Well, the rules continue to state the following:

Lineup changes must be made before the start of the next stage. We realize that's a short window of opportunity; if you feel this is unfair, please review Rule 5.

However, reading them again, the structure of the sentence as well as the placing of the statement made for ambiguity, so we'll give you a pass on that one.

1.) Cunego
2.) Basso (new -4)
3.) Evans
4.) Sastre
5.) Scarponi (no penalty for Petacchi)
frank says:

May 25 2010 at 9:27 am

@all

Crazy day for those guys riding up ladders to get to the finish. Amazing climb. Today sees Joe take a big lead as we enter the last week of racing. We expect to see lots of changes in the coming days.

Contestant Total
1 Joe: 14 points
2 Rob: 8 points
3 Marko: 4 points
4 Nathan Edwards: 4 points
5 Geof: 3 points
6 John: 1 point
7 Jarvis: 1 point
8 Robert Marques: 1 point
9 Frank: 0 points
10 Brett: 0 points

Note: Some of you show zero points despite having riders named in the top 5; this is because you have taken penalty points to make changes to your lineup.