Velominati Super Prestige: La Fléche Wallone 2013
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.
[vsp_results id=”23108″/]
VSP PICKS:
1. GIlbert
2. Rodriguez
3. Martin
4. Quintana
5. Gasparotto
like the man says, sheer guess work this one.
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Pincher Sagan
3. Valverde
4. Moser
5. Dan Martin
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan
2. Valverde
3. Gilbert
4. Gerrans
5. Martin
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan
2. Gilbert
3. Valverde
4. Gerrans
5. Rodriguez
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan
2. Contador
3. Gilbert
4. Gerrans
5. Valverde
VSP PICKS:
1. phil gil
2. valverde
3. sagan
4. gerrans
5. henao
VSP PICKS:
1. P. Gilbert
2. A. Valverde
3. P. Sagan
4. S. Henao
5. D. Ulissi
I. Have. No. Idea.
VSP PICKS:
1. Valverde
2. Gerrans
3. Gilbert
4. Sagan
5. Contador
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
Don’t know on this one – hope they’ve all recovered well from Amstel.
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Valverde
3. Contador
4. Gerrans
5. Sagan
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Valverde
3. Contador
4. Luis Henao
5. Moser
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Valverde
3. Gerrans
4. Nibbles
5. J Rod
V 2.0
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Sagan
3. Valverde
4. Heano
5. Quintana
Gilbert, for one half of another Ardennes Double.
Puccio, because I dig his name.
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Rodriguez
3. Sagan
4. Valverde
5. Puccio
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Valverde
3. Sagan
4. Henao
5. Contador
VSP PICKS:
1. Peter Sagan
2. Philippe Gilbert
3. Joaquim Rodriguez
4. Michael Albasini
5. Damiano Cunego
VSP PICKS:
1. RODRIGUEZ Joaquim
2. GERRANS Simon
3. HENAO Sergio Luis
4. GILBERT Philippe
5. ALBASINI Michael
Is there a start list up yet? If Sky brought Porte…
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan
2. Gilbert
3. GERRANS
4. Valverde
5. RODRIGUEZ Joaquim
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Valverde
3. Sagan
4. Contador
5. Gerrans
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan
2. Gilbert
3. J-Rod
4. Mollema
5. Henao
Crapola…these may get jigged a few more times before the start…
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan
2. Gilbert
3. J-Rod
4. Porte
5. Mollema
Can’t see Gilbert & BMC letting another one get away like the weekend…
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Gerro
3. Sags
4. Henao
5. Martin
Ryder took a decent flyer at AG, and is coming into form. Jelle looked strong last week, and just missed the podium last year. Giblets is still tough, but is “off” thus far.
The Forest Gump Running Man is probably still coming down off a good start; taking time to “rock out with his cock out”, before the Grand Tour season starts. Chris, well, just because.
VSP PICKS:
1. Red Ryder
2. Jelle Belle
3. Giblets
4. Weening
5. Sørensen (CA)
VSP PICKS:
1. Valverde
2. Gilbert
3. Albasini
4. Gerrans
5. JRod
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. valverde
3. sagan
4. martin
5. gerrans
Managed to get a little race in, and was actually in the lead with about a mile to go. Not in the lead at the end. The legs couldn’t back up what the wee little brain told them to do… More training, smarter racing next time.
VSP PICKS:
1. Ryder Hesjedal
2. Peter Sagan
3. Philip Gilbert
4. J-Rod
5. Thomas De Gendt
VSP PICKS:
1. Philbert
2. Sagan
3. Henao
4. Valverde
5. Contador
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan
2. Gilber
3. Valverde
4. Gerrans
5. JRod
Shorter race, nod to Sagan.
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan
2. Gilbert
3. Valverde
4. Gerrans
5. Moser
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Hesjedal
3. J Rodrigues
4. Moser
5. Henao
I tried picking favourites for Amstel, and Kreuziger fucked me over! So it’s back to longshots.
Start list here
Or if that doesn’t work: http://www.procyclingstats.com/race/116791022-La-Fleche-Wallonne-2013-Startlist
VSP PICKS:
1. Kwiatkowski
2. Betancur
3. Gilbert
4. Valverde
5. Fuglsang
$
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Hesjedal
3. Sagan
4. Rodriguez
5. Henao
Aha, my favourite finish of the year – full gas…..forever – roll on the pain – Phil won’t win, but I love him, so I am wrecking his chances by sticking him top of the pile !!!
VSP PICKS:
1. Rainbow Bands
2. Valverde
3. J-Rod
4. Henao
5. Sagan
VSP PICKS:
1. Porte
2. Gilbert
3. Sagan
4. Uran
5. Moser
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan
2. Rodriguez
3. Valverde
4. Gilbert
5. Moser
VSP PICKS:
1. Rodriguez
2. Gilbert
3. Gerrens
4. Valverde
5. Contador
VSP PICKS:
1. Gerrans
2. Contador
3. Gilbert
4. Porte
5. Sagan
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Kwiatkowsky
3. Moser
4. Iglinsky
5. Purito
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Sagan
3. Gerrans
4. Valverde
5. Henao
Here goes
VSP PICKS:
1. Gerrans
2. Porte
3. Sagan
4. Valverde
5. Gilbert
Don’t think gilly is going to get back to his 2011 form, I can see a Jrod Valverde sprint on the final climb coming and normally I would favour Purito but he fell at AmGR. Tiernan Lockes dancing style from Tour of Britain last year has me posting him as a wild card….and although not a classics man I feel a possible dirty bertie attack if he can make to the final climb, the man just loves to surprise us!
From the varying nature of these picks you can tell I don’t have a scooby doo what I am talking about!
VSP PICKS:
1. dirtie bertie
2. Valverde
3. JRod
4. Dan Martin
5. JTL
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan
2. Gilbert
3. Porte
4. Moser
5. Gerrans
VSP PICKS:
1. Contador
2. Martin
3. Valverde
4. Sagan
5. JTL
VSP PICKS:
1. Contador
2. J rod
3. Gilbert
4. Valverde
5. Porte
VSP PICKS:
1. gilbert
2. sagan
3. contador
4. valverde
5. hesjedal
Spanish treble. JRod’s arm permitting.
VSP PICKS:
1. Piti
2. Purito
3. Contodor
4. Phil Gil
5. Porte
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Sagan
3. Cunego
4. Porte
5. Valverde
a bit of a punt
VSP PICKS:
1. Martin
2. slagter
3. gilbert
4. valverde
5. sagan
@Adrian
I was almost tempted to put Martin in pole, I had heard he is targetting this one and the Tour of Lombardy but Dirty Bertie invaded my mind and I thought he was even more random and therefore worth a punt….
Slight update, hate putting Piti in there but let’s face it he’s not putting half the chemist’s shop through his veins to finish mid pack.
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Gerro
3. Valverde
4. Sagan
5. Slagter