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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Great race... good effort by the Maglia R. They all looked like toast!
WOW! What a day! Take that Baseball!
A-yo-yo really yo-yo'd today, coming back with that amazing descent. I thought the guns in that group would shell him again up the last climb, but no! Amazing riding. Basso went all Merckx-style on both those last climbs, just sitting in the front and owning that shit. Great to see.
I totally get Scarponi going for the win, but would you feel kinda sheepish knowing you did about 5% of the work and jumping by at the end? I don't know; if he does, I suspect he'll get over it.
@Joe
Did Cadel actually hit that car on the way down? The picture breakup made it hard to tell if he made contact or not.
Pretty much Rule 5 all over the road today.
Standings after Stage 19 sees Robert re-taking the lead. Nice show!
Contestant Total
1 Frank: 9 points
2 Robert Marques: 6 points
3 John: 5 points
4 Marko: 2 points
5 Geof: 2 points
6 Joe: 2 points
7 Jarvis: 1 point
8 Brett: 0 points
9 Rob: 0 points
10 Nathan Edwards: 0 points
@Frank....sooo close. I'm watching on Eurosport ONLINE Crap-o-vision, so again, tough to tell.
Arroyo comes close to getting my 'most man sized pair of glands' award for that descent and his immortal work on the front up the last climb. All of them cooked but my man riding like he'd had the pink jersey seared on his back. Chapeau.
Loving Basso's grimace, it's great to see him back.
Me and Basso on pink jersey? You must bee kidding...
Does anyone of you have the guts to go downhill as Arroyo did today? That was absolutely insane!!!
@Roberto Marques
That was fantastic riding on Arroyo's part. Sean Kelly and the other dude on Eurosport kept saying Cadel should be commended on his ride. Sure, he had a good ride, but wouldn't you expect more from Cadel, or at least think that's what you'd expect to see from a rider of his calibre? He didn't get any prizes in my book other than a pat on the back and a "Pretty Good today son". Basso on the other hand just may have won himself another GT today. The way he spins up those climbs with that look on his face is Rule 5 all the way.
@Roberto Marques
I'm surprised the guy can sit on his bike, his balls are so big.
I never liked Cadel Evans. The high-pitched, whining voice. The lack of ruthlessness. Lack of gratitude for the work Horner did for him. And the fact it seems he's always riding in the wrong gears. Then he won the Rainbow jersey. Then he rode like a champ in the Spring. He rode like a champ in the first half of the Giro. I'm pulling for him big time. He's about to be my new hero. And then, like always, he just ain't got it. Why do we expect so much from Cadel?? He's a strange one.
My smugness of rest-day has been replaced by a that yawning-chasm of despair and ruefulness that comes with a missed opportunity. I think this is as good as it gets for me unless the Gavia can pull a rabbit from it's snow-covered banks for me