Velominati Super Prestige

Velominati Super Prestige: La Vuelta a España 2013

The Long Sock Brigade hits the Angliru.
The Long Sock Brigade hits the Angliru

Seriously. Is it almost September? This was not the agreement, this was supposed to be an endless summer. And all you A-Holes down there in the Antipodes are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, enjoying longer days and shorter nights. I don’t need to tell you where you can take that, but it’s dark and it smells. I have no patience for the changing of seasons when it means I’m going to be benching Number One and busting out the headlight.

I’m not going to lie to you; the Vuelta is my least-favorite race of the year. Part of it is the parcours-it’s hard enough to get excited about flat sprint stages in the Tour, but these stages in central Spain that go down a straight freeway for hours are just too much for my brain to find interesting. Hey look! There’s another shrub! Wasn’t he a President at one point? There will be some redeeming points of the race, I’m sure, and the shit-steep climbs they dot along the route are certain to be highlights of the season. But after you do the math, this is the grand tour with the weakest field, the worst route, and-most damning-the strongest signal that Summer is coming to an end on the half of the world that matters.

I can’t be bothered to sort out the route and what stages are going to matter, but I’ll tell you this: for the last few years, the winner of the Vuelta VSP has won the VSP GC. A few years back, @Marcus complained that he only lost the VSP because @Nate used the second Rest Day Swaps to his advantage to take the win, but after heavily increasing the penalties, he kept losing. Typical of a man who posts photos of his todger on a Cycling site. (@Nate, your win was clean according to the VCI.) Speaking of which, at worst the Vuelta will distract from Pat McQuaid and his bid for losing the UCI Presidency.

He has a strong lead in the 2013 Anti-V competition, however.

Check the start list, get your picks in, and don’t Delgado this baby; it could be your ticket to the shop apron. Bon chance.

[vsp_results id=”26944″/]

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

484 Replies to “Velominati Super Prestige: La Vuelta a España 2013”

  1. @napolinige

    I was going to point out that all the ‘Hey Now!’ ‘Crowded house’ related nicknames for Henao are in flagrant violation of Rule #89, but I can’t remember where I read the correct pronunciation except that it was in an interview with Quintana and he’d know. Perhaps someone else read the same article.

    Sure did. It was on Cycling Inquisition. It’s pronounced Eh-nah-Oh, not “Hey Now”. Maybe Klaus reads Velominati?
    http://www.cyclinginquisition.com/2013/04/who-is-nairo-quintana.html

  2. My head says Piti, but I can’t stand the fucker and my heart wants to see Euskaltel-Euskadi go out in a blaze of glory. After his performance in Pologne I can’t see Nibbles finding his form so quickly, but then again I felt certain that Porte would finish second at le Tour…

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Sanchez
    2. Betancur
    3. Henao
    4. Rodrigez
    5. Nibali

  3. What the hell do I know……………

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Nibali
    2. Valverde
    3. Henao
    4. Basso
    5. Kreuziger

  4. VSP PICKS:

    1. Nibali
    2. Valverde
    3. Uran
    4. Henao
    5. Dan Martin

  7. @Bianchi Denti

    @napolinige

    I was going to point out that all the ‘Hey Now!’ ‘Crowded house’ related nicknames for Henao are in flagrant violation of Rule #89, but I can’t remember where I read the correct pronunciation except that it was in an interview with Quintana and he’d know. Perhaps someone else read the same article.

    Sure did. It was on Cycling Inquisition. It’s pronounced Eh-nah-Oh, not “Hey Now”. Maybe Klaus reads Velominati?
    http://www.cyclinginquisition.com/2013/04/who-is-nairo-quintana.html

    When have the Velominati ever let the facts stand in the way of what sounds good?

  8. @Mikael Liddy

    @Barracuda

    @Daccordi Rider

    Here in the Antipodes it is still cold, 5c last night whilst I was doing my hill repeats, but yes the sun is with us a bit longer each days and that holds forth promise.

    I haven’t usually followed the Vuelta that closely but last years was probably the best tour of the year. Watching Bertie, J Rod and Valverde hammer each other was great racing. Looking forward to this years, it looks like an interesting parcours.

    Agree, colder and wetter, the further south of Adelaide, you go, days starting to get a bit longer here @frank so soon no need for the Ay-Up’s.

    All in good time for our take on a Spring classic, the Dirty Dozen. Either of you keen for some Five & Dime action on election day?

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Dirty Sammy
    2. Purito
    3. His Nibs
    4. Don’t dream it’s over
    5. Dan Martin

    Sadly non starter, two young kidlets and all, be slumming it at the Royal show ….  refer “how not to spend a weekend” !!

  11. Although I gained a lot or respect for Ol’ dirty Valverde for how he rode for Kingtana in the Tour, I still can’t bring myself to put him in there. I’ll be rooting for Betancur, but my money’s on Nibs for the top stepper.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Nibbles the Shark
    2. Purito
    3. Bettin’ on Betancur
    4. Kreuziger
    5. Henao

  12. @Barracuda hehe, thankfully the Velomibaby is still too young to inflict the show upon us…well aware that it’s on the cards down the track though (trying to save pennies already).

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Dirty Sammy
    2. Purito
    3. His Nibs
    4. Don't dream it's over
    5. Dan Martin

  13. VSP PICKS:

    1. Rodriguez, J
    2. Uran, R
    3. Valverde, A
    4. Mollema, B
    5. Kreuziger, R

  15. It’ll be won by a Spanish speaker you just mark my words…

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Purito
    2. Nibbles
    3. Urang Utan
    4. My Little Scarponi
    5. Betancur

  20. Lets do this

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Nibali
    2. Rodriguez
    3. Uran
    4. Valverde
    5. Sanchez

  21. VSP PICKS:

    1. Sammy Sanchez
    2. Nibali
    3. J. Rodriguez
    4. Uran
    5. Horner

  24. @Bianchi Denti

    @napolinige

    I was going to point out that all the ‘Hey Now!’ ‘Crowded house’ related nicknames for Henao are in flagrant violation of Rule #89, but I can’t remember where I read the correct pronunciation except that it was in an interview with Quintana and he’d know. Perhaps someone else read the same article.

    Sure did. It was on Cycling Inquisition. It’s pronounced Eh-nah-Oh, not “Hey Now”. Maybe Klaus reads Velominati?
    http://www.cyclinginquisition.com/2013/04/who-is-nairo-quintana.html

    @Bianchi Denti Well, it drives us spanish speakers crazy when we hear of this Serjeeow Hey Now character. It all started when he “came out of nowhere” (As all Colombian riders seem to do) and won the prologue at the Tour of Utah in 2011. Slowly, english commentators have learned to pronounce his name correctly.

    PS: I’m pretty sure the whole name mispronunciation thing goes both ways. Colombian commentators probably butcher other non-spanish names on a regular basis

  26. Oops, more than 1 Moreno.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. J Rod
    2. Uran Uran
    3. Daniel Moreno
    4. Henao
    5. Valverde

  27. VSP PICKS:

    1. V Nibali
    2. S Heano
    3. J Rodriquez
    4. C Betancur
    5. Dan Martin

  28. As Frank points out this is most peoples least favorite Grand Tour but possibly the most important for the overall VSP.

    I can personally attest that picking the top 4 riders in correct order in the 2012 Vuelta VSP catapulted me to the top last year.

    This year it represents my last best chance for a repeat performance.

    Good Luck to everyone.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Valverde
    2. Henao
    3. J-Rod
    4. Nibali
    5. Dan Martin

  31. VSP PICKS:

    1. V Nibali
    2. R Kreuziger
    3. J Rodriguez
    4. A Valverde
    5. R Uran

  32. I believe that this is the first time I am choosing a Dutchman to win (anything).

    NetApp has a team? Let’s hope that they’re faster and more resilient than there junk ass storage solutions.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. fabian cancellera
    2. valverde
    3. Scarponi
    4. Hoogerland
    5. NIBALI

  33. So nearly Delgadoed !!!

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Nibbles
    2. J Rod
    3. Valverde
    4. Uran
    5. Henao

  35. VSP PICKS:

    1. Nibali
    2. Valverde
    3. joachim rodriguez
    4. Henao
    5. Dan Martin

  36. A wishful thinking top 5, j-rod finally gets a GT win, valverde gets done over by the bunch. Henao bass a break out GT setting him up for a future win. Roche finally manages to achieve a decent finish and nibali pulls a good performance out of the bag before the worlds.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Purito
    2. Henao
    3. Nibali
    4. Roche
    5. Piti

  38. I really enjoyed the Vuelta last year but I’m struggling to get interested. I will watch just like i’m watching that thing going on in ‘merica at the moment.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Henao
    2. Uran
    3. J Rod
    4. Benatcur
    5. Martin d

  40. VSP PICKS:

    1. Nibali
    2. Henao
    3. Valverde
    4. J rod
    5. Martin, Dan

  41. After careful consideration and analysis of each contender’s season to date… I threw a bunch of names in a hat and picked out five.  Scientific analysis at its best.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Valverde
    2. Rodriguez
    3. Nibali
    4. Dan Martin
    5. Kreuzinger

  42. VSP PICKS:

    1. Valverde
    2. Nibali
    3. Basso
    4. Cancellera
    5. Kreuziger

  43. When you are up late drinking beer it’s probably not the best time to be making changes. Fuck it, I’ve decided to stick with two favourites and go with three wee climbers with cool names.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. J Rod
    2. Sergio Henao
    3. Sylvester Szmyd
    4. Winner Anacona
    5. Domenico Pozzovivo

  46. I didn’t manage my TdF Picks very well so hopefully I’ll show better en España.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. J-ROD
    2. A. VALVERDE
    3. V. NIBALI
    4. D. MARTIN
    5. B. MOLLEMA

  47. Nibali is feinting and is going into this thing swinging. I got Horner on deck in case a) a miracle happens and he hangs for three weeks or b) Valverde loses gobs of time for no fucking reason.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Nibali
    2. Valverde
    3. Purito
    4. Henao
    5. Betancur

  48. VSP PICKS:

    1. Valverde
    2. Basso
    3. Nibali
    4. Sanchez
    5. Uran

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.