Velominati Super Prestige: Men’s La Fleche Wallonne 2017

Valverde is one of those guys who seems to never suck. And he looks great on a bike; he doesn’t spin too much, he doesn’t grind too much. He likes to stomp a big gear uphill in the drops, 90’s-style, when the mood strikes. What’s not to like? I’m not sure, but I can’t find myself liking him, must be the Piti Principle nonsense that spoiled him for me.

In any case, I can’t believe the guy is still an active Pro, let alone still winning. This race always comes down to who can go uphill like he stole something at the end of a long, lumpy race, and have the patience to wait until the right moment – go too early and you’ll burn out. Go too late and you’ll have missed the move from the guy who timed it right. And don’t get tempted into it by that skinny climber who goes well in the Alps; if he hasn’t done this climb yet, he’s likely to get it wrong.

Dan Martin is due to win this race, and my money is on him, assuming he’s starting, and I haven’t checked that he is. (Update: He is.) That’s a free tip, the rest I leave to you. Contemplate the start list (which I can’t find), peruse those pesky tea leaves, and get your picks in before the timer goes to zero.

[vsp_results id=”104291″/]

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83 Replies to “Velominati Super Prestige: Men’s La Fleche Wallonne 2017”

  1. VSP PICKS:

    1. Alejandro Valverde
    2. Michal Kwiatkowski
    3. Daniel Martin
    4. Michael Woods
    5. Rui Costa
  2. VSP PICKS:

    1. Alejandro Valverde
    2. Michal Kwiatkowski
    3. Dan Martin
    4. Tim Wellens
    5. Adam Yates
  3. Are they renaming this La Valverde Wallonne

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Valverde
    2. Albasini
    3. Sammy Sanchez
    4. Rui Costa
    5. Sergio Luis Henao
  4. VSP PICKS:

    1. Alejandro Valverde
    2. Sergio Henao
    3. Dan Martin
    4. Michal Kwiatkowski
    5. Michael Albasini
  5. VSP PICKS:

    1.  Alejandro Valverde
    2.  Michał Kwiatkowski
    3. Rigoberto Urán
    4. Nathan Haas
    5. Rui Costa
  6. Would have liked to include Vuillermoz or Woods, but it’s hard to look past the big favourites.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Alejandro Valverde
    2. Sergio Henao
    3. Michal Kwiatkowski
    4. Dan Martin
    5. Michael Albasini
  7. VSP PICKS:

    1. Alejandro Valverde
    2. Dan Martin
    3. Michal Kwiatkowski
    4. Michael Albasini
    5. Sergio Henao
  8. VSP PICKS:

    1. KWIATKOWSKI Michal
    2. MARTIN Daniel
    3. VALVERDE Alejandro
    4. MATTHEWS Michael
    5. ALBASINI Michael
  9. Picks

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Valverde, Alejandro
    2. Kwiatkowski, Michal
    3. Martin, Dan
    4. Sanchez, Samuel
    5. Haas, Nathan
  10. and again .. I can only enter one name ..

    1: Valverde

    2: Kwiatkovski

    3: Martin

    4: Henao

    5: Geesink

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Valverde
  11. Picking Valverde for the win (urgh)

    , but rooting for Dan…..

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Valverde
    2. Dan Martin
    3. Sergio Henao
    4. Pantano
    5. Vuillermoz
  12. @frank

    @RobSandy

    Picking Valverde to win even though I don’t like him, as then I’ll be pleased if he wins and pleased if he doesn’t.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Valverde
    2. Dan Martin
    3. Kwiatkowski
    4. Henao
    5. Wellens

    Its…diabolical. And genius.

    Never bet on your own team. Golden rule.

  13. @RobSandy

    @frank

    @RobSandy

    Picking Valverde to win even though I don’t like him, as then I’ll be pleased if he wins and pleased if he doesn’t.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Valverde
    2. Dan Martin
    3. Kwiatkowski
    4. Henao
    5. Wellens

    Its…diabolical. And genius.

    Never bet on your own team. Golden rule.

    I have a friend who regularly bets against his own teams. He calls it “emotional insurance”.

  14. Why isn’t Wout Poels racing?

     

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Kwiatkowski
    2. Valverde
    3. Dan Martin
    4. Sergio Henao
    5. Albasini
  15. Results of the 81st Flèche wallonne: 
    1. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) 
    2. Dan Martin (Quick-Step Floors) 
    3. Dylan Teuns (BMC) 
    4. Sergio Henao (Sky) 
    5. Michael Albasini (Orica-Scott)

    I got 3 in the right place.

  16. Two in the right place plus Henao as a top 5 finisher! Bring on La Doyenne!

  17. Cyclingnews quote from today’s race … Malmerde attributed his latest success to “confidence and strength … and drugs–shitloads of drugs”.  I might have changed it just a whee bit!

  18. @Buck Rogers

    Cyclingnews quote from today’s race … Malmerde attributed his latest success to “confidence and strength … and drugs–shitloads of drugs”. I might have changed it just a whee bit!

    Cyclingnews quote from today’s race … Malmerde attributed his latest success to “confidence and strength … and drugs–shitloads of undetectable drugs”. I might have changed it just a whee bit!

    Fixed your post! A 36 years old former doper and kicking the ass of riders 10 years younger on the Huy? I know a lot of success in this race is timing, but really? I just don’t buy it.

  19. @wiscot

    Fuck Malmerde. It’s just not right. Just not right at all.

    +1 and same for the Labrador

    Not normal

    I’ll be cracking a Chimay bleu the day day he goes down. He leaves me cold.

     

  20. @Harminator

    @wiscot

    Fuck Malmerde. It’s just not right. Just not right at all.

    +1 and same for the Labrador

    Not normal

    I’ll be cracking a Chimay bleu the day day he goes down. He leaves me cold.

    Right? I mean this is not an elder statesman of the peloton slipping into a break and using some tactical nous acquired over the course of a long career to outsmart some younger riders. This is a guy who turns 37 next week winning by a considerable margin on perhaps the nastiest finishing climb in pro cycling. Smells fishier than than a dumpster full of fish behind a fishmongers on a hot day.

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