Velominati Super Prestige: Le Tour de France 2013

Robert Millar leads Greg LeMan on the road to l’Alpe d’Huez in 1984

The early eighties saw the tide change in the European Peloton. Components were taking on a new, curvy shape as they left their boxy forms behind. The glint of toe clips in the sun would become a rarer sight as the move towards clipless pedals would take hold in 1985. English speakers were winning the big races classically won by continental Pros.

The 1984 Tour could be my favorite edition of the race. In 1983, the rookie Laurent Fignon had won in the absence of Le Patron, Bernard Hinault. The 1984 race saw the two go head-to-head, with Fignon becoming the one and only person in history to have laughed at Hinault and lived. He did more than live, he won. The new guard was here, and they were making their presence known.

This photo is from the stage to l’Alpe d’Huez. LeMond was riding in support of Fignon, and Robert Millar, in his second Tour, was leading the King of the Mountains competition, which he would eventually win. Millar wrote an account of this stage in Issue 13 of Rouleur, which everyone should make an effort to find a copy of. He describes the attacks that come fast and furious on the penultimate climb in such vivid detail, it makes my guns ache. But worse than that is his and LeMonds effort to hold on to Fignon and Hinault’s wheels in the ride through the valley to Le Bourg d’Oisans and the base of the final climb. It is the perfect description of the suffering of the Cyclist. LeMond, in service to his leader, is on the front one moment as he reels Hinault in after an attack, before being cast into the gutter and the back wheel a moment later when the next attack comes.

Just as 1984 was a watershed moment in the Pro peloton, 2013 is a watershed year for the VSP. This year we are offering five amazing prizes from five amazing partners.

Prizes

First prize is a Veloforma Strada iR road frame, painted in an exclusive Velominati color scheme with the newly-designed Velominati Super Prestige logo. Please note that this is a brand-spankin’ new frame for Veloforma. The geometry can be reviewed here.

Second prize is a pair of Café Roubaix carbon tubular wheels. The winner of this prize will be given the choice between the sub-1000g Haleakala wheels or a road version of my beloved Arenberg wheelset. As an additional incentive, anyone who enters their picks in the Tour VSP will get a $200 discount on any wheelset at Café Roubaix.

Third prize is a pair of Bont cycling shoes. The winner of this prize will be assisted in selecting the size, color, and model of shoe.

Fourth prize is a Flandrian Best kit from DeFeet consisting of a wool U-D-Shirt, Arm Skins, Kneekers, Slipstreams, and a pair of V-Socks.

Fifth prize is a wool jersey from our Keepers Tour tour partners, Pavé Cycling Classics.

Many thanks to each of our sponsors for providing such exciting prizes.

Rules

Enter your picks for the top five riders on G.C. by the time the countdown clock goes to zero; Grand Tour scoring rules apply. Check the mapping of your picks by the end of Stage 1 and use the dispute system should it be mapped incorrectly.

We will be enforcing Piti Principle rules much more closely. We will be accepting pick disputes through the start of Stage 2. After that, it will be at The Keepers’ discretion as to whether or not we allow the dispute. If your pick is ambiguous and we map them to the wrong rider, make sure you check your disputes before the deadline; we may reject the dispute after that time. For example, should both Tony and Dan Martin take the start and you enter “Martin” as your pick, we will pick one for you and you will have to live with it if you forget to dispute it before the deadline.

Good luck, and Merckxspeed.

Update: This is the same paint scheme that the winner will have, except the VSP Winner’s Badge will be replacing the V-Lion.

[dmalbum path=”/velominati.com/content/Photo Galleries/frank@velominati.com/Veloforma/”/]

[vsp_results id=”24179″/]

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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View Comments

tessar says:

Jun 24 2013 at 1:06 am

VSP PICKS:

1. Christopher Froome
2. Alberto Contador
3. Ritchie Porte
4. Joaquim Rodriguez
5. Alejandro Valverde
sthilzy says:

Jun 24 2013 at 2:30 am

@Deakus

Tough one to call but I suspect/hope that BMC, Tinkoff, Katusha and Astana do a deal and work Sky over a bit...unpatriotic I know but at the end of the day it's about exciting racing, not just cycling uphill sat down at 400W..

I'd buy that for a dollar!

Being 100th and traditional, piss those radio's off and Power Watt Up meters and have some real, read the road/bunch racing!

I like the concentration in the south east of the TdF stages.
Deakus says:

Jun 24 2013 at 2:44 am

@sthilzy If Sky are working purely to metrics then you cannot win in the final stages. The opposing teams need to disrupt them early on in the mountain stages....send someone threatening up the road and make the Sky domestiques chase, attack from the off, this has a chance of disrupting the Sky Train or sending their data analysts in to caniptions, the only other way is for the spaniards to dish out vicious attacks at key points on the climbs, but the issue is that Froome is not as once paced at Twiglet so this may be less successful....
Mikael Liddy says:

Jun 24 2013 at 2:47 am

@frank

@Daccordi Rider

If Porte goes top five, it will confirm what I already know: Sky is the new Postal/Discovery and I'd feel cleaner licking a junkie's needle than one of Sky's...ok my analogy is falling appart and I'm afraid to continue for fear of getting really weird.

Hows about I try this tact: If they're clean, then so are all the junkies down in Pioneer Square in Seattle...

@starclimber Still don't know who you mean? No stress, just can't fucking map that shit. I'm too dense.

While I don't disagree that Sky does look a little too good to be true, Porte's shown pretty solid GC credentials ever since coming on the scene in the 2010 Giro & is progressing as you'd expect for a maturing GC rider in his mid to late 20's...
Mikael Liddy says:

Jun 24 2013 at 2:50 am

@Deakus

@sthilzy If Sky are working purely to metrics then you cannot win in the final stages. The opposing teams need to disrupt them early on in the mountain stages....send someone threatening up the road and make the Sky domestiques chase, attack from the off, this has a chance of disrupting the Sky Train or sending their data analysts in to caniptions, the only other way is for the spaniards to dish out vicious attacks at key points on the climbs, but the issue is that Froome is not as once paced at Twiglet so this may be less successful....

Froome's natural climbing ability & acceleration to counter attacks had me hoping we wouldn't see the Skybots doing their imperial death march up the climbs this year but if the Dauphine is to be taken as the dress rehersal then that's exactly what we're in for.
Tit de la Course says:

Jun 24 2013 at 3:15 am

Chapeau Keepers, has the frame been tested for my Sprinters physique?

VSP PICKS:

1. Chris Froome
2. Alberto Contador
3. Cadel Evans
4. Dan Martin
5. Pierre Rolland
mouse says:

Jun 24 2013 at 3:38 am

@frank

@mouse

@frank

@Daccordi Rider

If Porte goes top five, it will confirm what I already know: Sky is the new Postal/Discovery and I'd feel cleaner licking a junkie's needle than one of Sky's...ok my analogy is falling appart and I'm afraid to continue for fear of getting really weird.

Hows about I try this tact: If they're clean, then so are all the junkies down in Pioneer Square in Seattle...

@starclimber Still don't know who you mean? No stress, just can't fucking map that shit. I'm too dense.

That's a bit rough @Frank.

Everyone knows that only Americans and Europeans dope.

I stand corrected.

Honestly, though, what do I know. I'd love to believe. Honestly, nothing would make me happier. Its just that the last 15 years has taught me that the stench of rotten fish usually means someone took a dump on my plate.

What'ya mean? someone like a penguin?

Excellent mixed metaphor. I understand where you're coming from. I'm just much more stupid and gullible and so am happy to believe that everything is just peachy again.
Mike_P says:

Jun 24 2013 at 4:57 am

The only thing I'm sure about is Saxo, Euskaltel, Katusha and Movistar ganging up for the Spanish Inquisition, but here goes...

VSP PICKS:

1. Contador
2. Froome
3. Pierre Rolland
4. Van Garderen
5. Valverde
withnails says:

Jun 24 2013 at 5:22 am

VSP PICKS:

1. Froome
2. Contador
3. Van Garderen
4. Porte
5. Evans
Velodeluded says:

Jun 24 2013 at 5:28 am

So many of the same picks so thought I'd try a little left of centre (or center for the North American Velominati) thinking..

Can't really see Evans doing much other than starting well and then fading fast.

VSP PICKS:

1. Van Garderen T
2. Froome C
3. Rodriguez J
4. Martin D
5. Contador A