Categories: Velominati Super Prestige

Velominati Super Prestige: La Fléche Wallone 2013

J-Rod launches his attack in 2012. Photo via Podium Café

We came tantalizingly close to adding a foray up the Mur de Huy during our excursion to Liege-Bastogne-Liege during this year’s Keepers Tour. But good sense and the Anti-V prevailed, as they are wont to do, and only two of us were left wanting a dig at the most notorious finishing climb in the Classics season.

I write this, then, woefully ignorant of the ferocity of the climb, particularly when combined with with a few hundred k’s of racing and scaling it several times in the process. Such is the nature of this event, and it doesn’t even have the dignity of holding a weekend spot on the calendar for its troubles.

But the Huy is a brute. Steep, long, and steep. Did I mention steep? We’re talking 26% steep. And long? We’re talking 1.3km. Even the best climbers in the world fade when the effort is dished out too soon. Keep the powder dry was ever thus.

Throw the formulas out the window; its best to resort to your eye of newt for this one. Whoever wins will have good finishing speed on an uphill finish and it also won’t be Andy Schleck. That’s about all the farther anyone can narrow this puppy down, the rest is guesswork. Enter your picks by the time the countdown clock goes to zero.

Good luck, regular rules apply.

I might have posted this last year as well, but this is my favorite finish of La Fléche to date, Pre-Cancerian Pharmy notwithstanding. He takes a flier in the only spot on this climb with some easing of the gradient. Its beautiful work, that.

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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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  • Frites and Mayo this Sunday - yeoooww!! Good hard ride involving getting lost a few times before battle commences through the Gilbert's driveway, and we are in for a great day

    As nearly everyone I know is currently riding down and back up Sa Calobra, whilst I languish depressed at work, it is a godsend that we have some good racing on the telly

    Poor Philippe - he just wants it too much - needs to transmogrify into a TT expert or something, and not be so openly, the only man who wants the Ardennes more than anything else in the toyshop

    I guess it is the downside for kicking everyones butt so hard in 2011

    Moreno has been last man standing up the big ramps for J-Rod for the last year or so, so not surprised he made the jump

    Ryder, sorry mate, but the Astana/Skybots are about to trample all over your Girohopes

    That boy Kwiatowski is destined for greatness me thinx

  • Hey guys - some more disputed picks; results have been updated again.

    Provisional Race Results
    1. MORENO FERNANDEZ Daniel
    2. HENAO MONTOYA Sergio Luis
    3. BETANCUR GOMEZ Carlos Alberto
    4. MARTIN Daniel
    5. KWIATKOWSKI Michal
    Provisional VSP Results
    1. napolinige (7 points)
    2. unversio (5 points)
    3. Buck Rogers (5 points)
    4. stickyjumper (5 points)
    5. Al__S (5 points)
    6. Gianni (5 points)
    7. JohnB (4 points)
    8. Mikael Liddy (3 points)
    9. San Tonio (3 points)
    10. Bianchi Denti (3 points)
    11. Deakus (3 points)
    12. roger (3 points)
    13. el gato (3 points)
    14. Chica (3 points)
    15. anotherdownunder (2 points)
    16. mouse (2 points)
    17. mbarston (2 points)
    18. ChrisO (2 points)
    19. Nate (2 points)
    20. Skip (2 points)
    21. dancollins (2 points)
    22. xyxax (2 points)
    23. ramenvelo (2 points)
    24. strathlubnaig (1 points)
    25. Blah (1 points)
    26. Steampunk (1 points)
    27. sthilzy (1 points)
    28. CanuckChuck (1 points)
    29. freddy (1 points)
    30. Heihachi (1 points)
    31. LA Dave (1 points)
    32. snoov (1 points)
    33. Smithers (1 points)
    34. Dr C (1 points)
    35. Mirko (1 points)
    36. TomC (1 points)
    37. Adrian (1 points)
    38. Patrick (1 points)
    39. VeloVita (1 points)
    40. tony macaroni (1 points)
    41. eenies (1 points)
    42. m_demartino (1 points)
    43. VirenqueForever (1 points)
    44. Fausto (1 points)
    45. Donnie Bugno (1 points)
    46. simonsaunders (1 points)
    47. Malfadactus (1 points)
    48. Duende (1 points)
    49. Dan_R (1 points)
    50. Facetious_Jesus (1 points)
    51. NoTubes (1 points)
    52. seemunkee (1 points)
    53. pakrat (1 points)
    54. Ron (1 points)
    55. BigPhil (1 points)
    56. TOM.NELS2120 (0 points)
    57. eightzero (0 points)
    58. Noel (0 points)
    59. R00tdown (0 points)
    60. Erik (0 points)
    61. asyax (0 points)
    62. PeakInTwoYears (0 points)
    63. Don Amedo (0 points)
    64. The Grande Fondue (0 points)
    65. Tobin (0 points)
    66. scaler911 (0 points)
    67. Gino (0 points)
    68. Lukas (0 points)
    69. RedRanger (0 points)
    70. starclimber (0 points)
    71. piwakawaka (0 points)
    72. torrefie (0 points)
    73. gallilano (0 points)
    74. Franklin (0 points)
    75. DocBrian (0 points)
    76. girl (0 points)
    77. Jbailey (0 points)
    78. Simon (0 points)
    79. Rigid (0 points)
    80. ped (0 points)
    81. G'phant (0 points)
    82. chrismurphy92 (0 points)
    83. the Engine (0 points)
    84. Giles (0 points)
    85. quanyeomans (0 points)
    86. il ciclista medio (0 points)
    87. Two Ball Billy (0 points)
    88. HeinrichHausslersHairstyle (0 points)
    89. Joe (0 points)
    90. razmaspaz (0 points)
    91. Mr. Kotter (0 points)
    92. Harminator (0 points)
    93. Sauterelle (0 points)
    94. SimonH (0 points)
    95. Vernwitha_V (0 points)
    96. wiscot (0 points)
    97. blue (0 points)
    98. Nosyt (0 points)
    99. taon24 (0 points)
    100. El Mateo (0 points)
    101. jeyrod (0 points)
    102. sgraha (0 points)
    103. imakecircles (0 points)
    104. Bat Chainpuller (0 points)
    105. oneninefiveninesix (0 points)
    106. Chris (0 points)
    107. jhortua (0 points)
    108. sprider (0 points)
    109. cal (0 points)
    110. Gervais (0 points)
    111. Islandbike (0 points)
    112. moondance (0 points)
    113. Tartan1749 (0 points)
    114. brian (0 points)
    115. Geordi (0 points)
    116. brett (0 points)
    117. leadout (0 points)
    118. Gino (0 points)

  • @Dr C

    Ryder, sorry mate, but the Astana/Skybots are about to trample all over your Girohopes

    You're undoubtedly right, but I was interested to see him finish well and comfortably (amid the host of bobbing heads) the other day. He seem to be well in control of his efforts and not racing to win. Combined with his effort at the Amstel Gold Race, he seems to be rolling into form. Witness the end of la Flèche Wallonne; Hesjedal rolls over the line at the very end of the video:

    A couple of other thoughts:

    1. I love "le peloton des battus." Awesome stuff!

    2. Nice, tender moment between Henao and Betancur at the finish. It's been a good spring for Colombian riders.

  • @Dr C

    As nearly everyone I know is currently riding down and back up Sa Calobra

    Me too - are your mates on the Legro's training camp? I'll say hi if they are. A lot of Texans out here at the moment as well. Great riding out here; not sure I'm going to like going home to miserable weather and potholed roads, riding out here is seriously addictive.

  • Hold on, I just re-read that title article, and realised the keepers tour 'went close to but did not ride the Mur' ?? wtf, over.

    That's closer than a close thing which has just won a come close contest. Why would you not do this hill ?

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frank
12 years ago

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