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.
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[vsp_results id=”24179″/]
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View Comments
With rain predicted Froome has expressed concerns about the decent between the two climbs of the Alpe. Bjarne tells him to HTFU
When told of Froome's concerns, Bjarne Riis, the manager of the Saxo-Tinkoff team led by second placed Spaniard Alberto Contador, told reporters on Wednesday: "He should use his brakes more if he's afraid on the descents. We are going to attack everywhere, whether it is going uphill or downhill."
Oh man this should be good!
@Nate
I don't think so. Not in Maths. When discussing mineral deposits in the urinary tract then yes but not in Maths.
@Bianchi Denti
I believe I read somewhere that they changed the rule during the stage and informed everyone by race radio that they could in fact get a last feed inside the last or at the last 20k
@paolo
Rule is 20Km limit for flat stages, 10Km for uphill finishes, but the race jury set it back to 6km due to conditions on that stage and told everyone through the radio.
Math is not my strong suit, but I have a sneaking suspicion that I would have been better off letting my original picks ride.
I started with Froome, Porte, Contador, Van Garderen and Quintana
First rest day, I switched to Froome, Contador, Valverde, Quintana and Mollema.
No swaps on second rest day. Can someone with better math skills confirm that I would have been better off living with Porte and TeeJay than taking the penalty? I recognize that the final answer isn't available yet, but I'm pretty sure that "don't dick with the mix" is the right answer to most questions.
@Spun Up
While I have no idear about the maths (I can only add up to 20 if I'm wearing sandals), but I almost did some 2nd rest day swaps. Almost.
@scaler911
You grew up in Jefferson and live in Vantucky, and are saying "maths?" What is the world coming to?
@Nate
As you know, the Great State of Jefferson is the west coast version of the Deep South. Vantucky is the capital. No money for education.
Here is a really good rich-media write up on climbers:
http://www.lequipe.fr/explore/born-to-climb/
@Spun Up
I'm not super bright in the "maths" department either, but I think the way Frank designed the penalties for VSP rest day swaps, you're almost always better off just leaving your original picks in place.