Velominati Super Prestige

Velominati Super Prestige: La Fléche Wallone 2013

purito_attack
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.

[vsp_results id=”23108″/]

Related Posts

Velominati Super Prestige: Men’s World Championship Road Race 2017

Sep 21 2017

Velominati Super Prestige: Women’s World Championship Road Race 2017

Sep 21 2017

238 Replies to “Velominati Super Prestige: La Fléche Wallone 2013”

  1. There’ll be an interruption on the Mur de Huy caused by the arrival of a Vogon constructor fleet – this will allow my eclectic selection of riders to surprise the field and finish in the predicted order.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Roman “Double” Kreuziger
    2. “Popular Choice” Valve
    3. Simon Gerrans
    4. Pfast Phil Giblets
    5. Peter “Saggin” Sagan

  2. VSP PICKS:

    1. Roman “Double” Kreuziger
    2. “Popular Choice” Valveverde
    3. Simon Gerrans
    4. Pfast Phil Giblets
    5. Peter “Saggin” Sagan

  3. anyone else picking Richie?

    VSP PICKS:

    1. gerrans
    2. gilbert
    3. sagan
    4. valverde
    5. Porte

  4. @gallilano

    anyone else picking Richie?

    VSP PICKS:

    1. gerrans
    2. gilbert
    3. sagan
    4. valverde
    5. Porte

    I did, but at 4. He’s ready for longer rides over several days. A star rising for next year, but this year is Gerrans’s.

  5. Sheer guesswork. I didn’t get to be 117th in the VSP by being able to predict a race.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Gilbert
    2. D.Martin
    3. Valverde
    4. J.Vanendert
    5. Sagan

  7. VSP PICKS:

    1. Phil Gilbert
    2. Henao
    3. Sagan
    4. Valverde
    5. Quintana

  8. @Deakus

    @Adrian

    a bit of a punt

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Martin
    2. slagter
    3. gilbert
    4. valverde
    5. sagan

    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….

    If I had a clue I’d be dangerous, simply saw Martin placed well last year and he’s showing some form at the moment…….

  9. VSP PICKS:

    1. Gilbert
    2. Valverde
    3. Quintana
    4. Contador
    5. Albasini

  10. @Adrian

    @Deakus

    @Adrian

    a bit of a punt

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Martin
    2. slagter
    3. gilbert
    4. valverde
    5. sagan

    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….

    If I had a clue I’d be dangerous, simply saw Martin placed well last year and he’s showing some form at the moment…….

    Only two points seperating us in the VSP, Martin could be the difference

  11. @gallilano

    anyone else picking Richie?

    VSP PICKS:

    1. gerrans
    2. gilbert
    3. sagan
    4. valverde
    5. Porte

    I would have thought he was under orders….Sky run a pretty strict regime of “following orders”, think Froome sitting up in last years Tour and I am not sure he is there lead man, but I am guessing, I had picked JTL as having a punt but I have no info on who is the favoured person…Richie is more experienced so you may be right…

  12. @Adrian

    @Adrian

    @Deakus

    @Adrian

    a bit of a punt

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Martin
    2. slagter
    3. gilbert
    4. valverde
    5. sagan

    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….

    If I had a clue I’d be dangerous, simply saw Martin placed well last year and he’s showing some form at the moment…….

    Only two points seperating us in the VSP, Martin could be the difference

    I picked Bertie to win so my money is on you taking the lead after this race…!

  14. @Deakus

    @Adrian

    @Adrian

    @Deakus

    @Adrian

    a bit of a punt

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Martin
    2. slagter
    3. gilbert
    4. valverde
    5. sagan

    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….

    If I had a clue I’d be dangerous, simply saw Martin placed well last year and he’s showing some form at the moment…….

    Only two points seperating us in the VSP, Martin could be the difference

    I picked Bertie to win so my money is on you taking the lead after this race…!

    I doubt it, my only podium place was last weekend, were I was second until the actual results came out and I was pitched of the stage and out of the top ten. Other than that have never even been close!

  16. VSP PICKS:

    1. Sagan
    2. Gilbert
    3. Gerrans
    4. Valverde
    5. Kwiatkowski

  17. VSP PICKS:

    1. Philip Gilbert
    2. Peter Sagan
    3. Alejandro Valverde
    4. Michael Albasin
    5. Ryder Hesjedal

  18. No Heinrich, no interest.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Gilbert
    2. Gerrans
    3. Martin
    4. Sagan
    5. Valverde

  19. Ooo.. Porte is racing. No more JRod

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Sagan
    2. Gilbert
    3. GERRANS
    4. Valverde
    5. PORTE Richie

  21. VSP PICKS:

    1. Gilbert
    2. Valverde
    3. Rodriguez
    4. Contador
    5. Kwiatkowski

  23. Conty will definitely have a crack at this but get gobbled up at the end. Big Phil to hang on….

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Gilbers
    2. Vulverde
    3. Sagan
    4. J-rod
    5. Conty

  25. VSP PICKS:

    1. J. Rodriguez
    2. A. Valverde
    3. P. Gilbert
    4. D. Cunego
    5. R. Hesjedal

  26. I have some first hand experience on the mur de Huy from my ‘weepers tour’ this time last year. It makes the Cauberg look like a false flat. Low down its manageable but somewhere in the lower third you get kicked up the cluster and then out of the saddle. I don’t know if the halfway pinch is 26% but it sure takes away any sense of momentum you have at that point. After that its pure grind – steep and unrelenting all the way for the last 500m.

    Whoever wins needs to make their attack last longer, to love the pain cave, to not mind that it hurts…

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Gilbert
    2. Albasini
    3. Jelle
    4. Westra
    5. Porte

  28. VSP PICKS:

    1. Gilbert
    2. Valverde
    3. Gerrans
    4. Rodriguez
    5. Quintana

  30. VSP PICKS:

    1. Quintana
    2. Valverde
    3. Gerrans
    4. Porte
    5. Hesjedal

  32. Bunch of skinny guys powering their skinny asses up the Mur.  Help Wanted on this one – Long haired freaky Clydesdales need not apply.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Valverde
    2. Gilbert
    3. Contador
    4. Porte
    5. Sagan

  33. @Vernwitha_V

    Bunch of skinny guys powering their skinny asses up the Mur. Help Wanted on this one – Long haired freaky Clydesdales need not apply.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Valverde
    2. Gilbert
    3. Contador
    4. Porte
    5. Sagan

    This is peaking my curiosity now…..do we really think Saggy (although he can climb some gradients) is going to be a real contender on the Mur….not picking on your picks specifically but there are a lot of people backing him and I am wondering if I have missed something…..like his enormously heavy thighs and stumpy legs…I think he pinches skinny asses rather than having one….those glutes are awesome…but on 20deg plus gradients….?

    Is it just me?

  41. Apparently the cheeky bit in the middle is 17%, still pretty cheeky though. Phil Gil to display some form in the bands, edging Martin through sheer bloody-mindedness. Would like to see Porte do well, but I’m not sure he’s got the goods to take the win – yet.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Gilforwards
    2. Martin
    3. Slagter
    4. Porte
    5. Valverde

  43. Ouch mur de Huy looks painful. If Sagan gets up there ahead of everyone else I’ll eat my black non-trade team shorts.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Valverde
    2. Porte
    3. Kwiatkowski
    4. Rodriguez
    5. Contador

  46. I can’t understand these uber-steep climbs. When the road pitches to anything over about 15%, I can’t even stay on the bike. After about 12% there is no way to stay on the saddle – each pedal stroke lifts my front wheel off the ground. Then if I stand to power up even steeper sections, the dead spots in the rotation make me literally stop, and I fall over. I push a 50×28 compact with 180mm cranks. I am in awe of anyone on a sustained climb of over ~16%.

    Guess that’s why they get paid to do it.

  47. VSP PICKS:

    1. Richie Porte
    2. Philippe Gilbert
    3. Simon Gerrans
    4. Ryder Hesjedal
    5. Joachim Rodriguez

  48. VSP PICKS:

    1. Contador
    2. Joachim Rodriquez
    3. Valverde
    4. Richie Port
    5. Gilbert

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.