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. Quintana
2. gilbert
3. martin
4. Porte
5. gerrans
VSP PICKS:
1. Hesjedal
2. Henao
3. Valverde
4. Gilbert
5. Gerrans
VSP PICKS:
1. Quintana
2. gilbert
3. martin
4. Porte
5. fuglsang
@m_demartino
UPDATE!
1. Valverde2. Martin
3. Gilbert
4. Moreno
5. Uran
VSP PICKS:
1. Quintana
2. Porte
3. martin
4. Gilbert
5. fuglsang
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Sagan
3. J-Rod
4. Valverde
5. Porte
VSP PICKS:
1. Rodriguez
2. Gilbert
3. Uran
4. Gerrans
5. Valverde
VSP PICKS:
1. Contador
2. Gilbert
3. Sagan
4. Valverde
5. Rodriguez
VSP PICKS:
1. Rodriguez
2. Valverde
3. Quintana
4. Sagan
5. Gilbert
VSP PICKS:
1. phil gil
2. j rodriguez
3. henao
4. valverde
5. sagan
Thanks for the heads up on Gerrans. Subs on, team sheet amended, for no other reason than I can’t make up my mind who to put in.
VSP PICKS:
1. Phillippe Gilbert
2. Richie Porte
3. Carlos Bettancur
4. Ryder Hesjedal
5. Nairo Quintana
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Contador
3. Martin
4. Valverde
5. Rodriguez
Random win generator picks these. I sense a further slide down the VSP
VSP PICKS:
1. Porte
2. Valverde
3. Sagan
4. Gilbert
5. Dan Martin
helps to pick riders who are entered…
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan
2. Gilbert
3. Contador
4. Valverde
5. Kwiatkowski
@Deakus Yes no doubt you are correct but I can’t bet against the guy. I moved him down in my picks and I feel he will most likely not be in the running but….(see above).
VSP PICKS:
1. Valverde
2. Gilbert
3. Contador
4. Porte
5. Sagan
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Kwiatkowski
3. Slagter
4. Porte
5. Moser
darn you gerrans
VSP PICKS:
1. valverde
2. alberto c
3. ryder
4. martin
5. porte
VSP PICKS:
1. Valverde
2. Gilbert
3. J Rod
4. Henao
5. Dan Martin
VSP PICKS:
1. Porte
2. Rodriguez J.
3. Valverde
4. Quintana
5. Uran
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Valverde
3. Vanendert, J.
4. Rodriguez
5. Quintana
Actually thanks Gerrans for failing to observe Rule #5 as Moser leading out Sagan up the Mur de Huy and the pair not quite doing it and crossing the line together is almost a plausible scenario. Moser does have form this year for going up steep hills at the ends of things quite quickly.
Although in my head the arrival of Vogons is just as plausible – I’m going to bed now.
VSP PICKS:
1. Roman “Double” Kreuziger
2. “Popular Choice” Valveverde
3. Pfast Phil Giblets
4. Peter “Saggin” Sagan
5. Moreno Moser
VSP PICKS:
1. Quintana
2. Gilbert
3. Martin
4. Porte
5. Sagan
Apparently, the computer system required greater specificity.
VSP PICKS:
1. Nairo Quintana
2. Philippe Gilbert
3. Dan Martin
4. Richie Porte
5. Peter Sagan
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan
2. Porte
3. Moser
4. Valverde
5. Gilbert
VSP PICKS:
1. RODRIGUEZ Joaquim
2. HENAO Sergio Luis
3. KREUZIGER Roman
4. VANDE VELDE Christian
5. ALBASINI Michael
WTF
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Kreuziger
3. Port
4. Bardet
5. Tiernan-Locke
VSP PICKS:
1. Contador
2. Valverde
3. Sagan
4. Gilbert
5. Rodriguez
Fuglsang makes me nervous, so Dan Martin’s in.
Arghh! Must stop over-thinking…
VSP PICKS:
1. Kwiatkowski
2. Betancur
3. Gilbert
4. Valverde
5. Dan Martin
Tough call but I’ll go with Purito hoping he recovered sufficiently after Sunday. De Gendt is a complete wildcard as I haven’t heard anything about his season.
VSP PICKS:
1. J-Rod
2. Gilbert
3. Valverde
4. Martin
5. De Gendt
Should have picked a couple more dark horses, we’ll see how the popular favorites fare…
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Purito
3. Valverde
4. Vanendert
5. Mollema
Gerro out Alba in
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Albasini
3. Porte
4. Valverde
5. Kwitkowski
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan
2. Gilbert
3. Valverde
4. J Rod
5. Vande velde
VSP PICKS:
1. contador
2. rodriguez
3. gilbert
4. sagan
5. esjedal
VSP PICKS:
1. Quintana
2. J-Rod
3. Porte
4. Valverde
5. Hesjedal
Tough to call. I’d put Sagan in the top five, but something tells me he has peaked a bit and needs a slight rest. Valverde is peaking and Ryder is looking for a pre-Giro podium.
VSP PICKS:
1. R. Hesjedal
2. A. Valverde
3. A. Contador
4. P. Gilbert
5. D. Martin
VSP PICKS:
1. Rodriguez
2. Valverde
3. Anton
4. Uran
5. Fuglsang
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Rodriguezth
3. Henao
4. Valverde
5. Martin
VSP PICKS:
1. Henao
2. Quintana
3. P. Gilbert
4. Albasini
5. Dan Martin
VSP PICKS:
1. Philippe Gilbert
2. Alejandro Valverde
3. Sergio Henao Montoya
4. JoaquÃm RodrÃguez
5. Michal Kwiatkowski
VSP PICKS:
1. Alejandro Valverde
2. Philippe Gilbert
3. Sergio Henao Montoya
4. Richie Porte
5. Joaquim Rodriguez
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Roman K.
3. Porte
4. Valverde
5. Sagan
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Valverde
3. Henao
4. JRod
5. Sagan
VSP PICKS:
1. gilbert
2. quintana
3. martin
4. valverde
5. moser
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Valverde
3. Quintana
4. Henao
5. Martin
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Valverde
3. Gerrans
4. Uran
5. Betancur
I’m very, very curious to see how the World Champ does. Is he just a bit off this year, making us appreciate just how hard his Triple was? Or, has he lost that Love & Feelin’?
Gerrans. I think he’s been gauging what he has in those legs, from TDU through tomorrow and is feeling strong.
Valverde. Did he race smartly on Sunday or not take his turn?
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Gerrans
3. Henao
4. Valverde
5. Moser
VSP PICKS:
1. GIlbert
2. Rodriguez
3. Martin
4. Quintana
5. Valverde
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Quintano
3. Heano
4. Gerrans
5. Roman K
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan
2. Rodriguez
3. Porte
4. Gilbert
5. Contador
I’m really hoping Dan Martin’s form has held since Catalunya, would love to see him take the top step.
VSP PICKS:
1. Dan Martin
2. Valverde
3. Gilbert
4. Contador
5. Henao