Velominati Super Prestige

Velominati Super Prestige: Le Tour de France 2013

millar-lemond
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″/]

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1,667 Replies to “Velominati Super Prestige: Le Tour de France 2013”

  2. If I win this, I promise to NEVER break the rules whilst using the prize. Merckx be with me.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. froome
    2. Porte
    3. Evans
    4. Hesjedal
    5. Contador

  3. The yellow jersey returns this year, sadly unlike in the actual TdF.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Chris Froome
    2. Ritchie Porte
    3. Alberto Contador
    4. Joaquim Rodriguez
    5. Dan Martin

  4. Jacob Fulgsang will be this years big surprice

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Chris Froome
    2. Alberto Contador
    3. Ritchie Porte
    4. Tejay Van Garderen
    5. Jacob Fulgsang

  5. VSP PICKS:

    1. Chris Froome
    2. Alberto Contador
    3. Joaquím Rodríguez
    4. Alejandro Valverde
    5. Thibaut Pinot

  6. Wow.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Chris Froome
    2. Joaquim Rodriguez
    3. Richie Porte
    4. Alberto Contador
    5. Cadel Evans

  7. VSP PICKS:

    1. Chris Froome
    2. Richie Porte
    3. Alberto Contador
    4. Alejandro Valverde
    5. Cadel Evans

  9. About to jump on a plane and make our way to Corsica to follow le Tour. Vive le Cadel!

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Froome
    2. Cadel
    3. Contador
    4. Quintana
    5. Porte

  11. I know these prizes are fantastic, but that is no excuse for everyone taking this too seriously.

    I was roflmao on the Giro VSP.

    Lighten up!

    P.s. Clembutador is dead meat

    VSP PICKS:

    1. froom dog
    2. any porte in a storm
    3. quintana banana
    4. cuddles
    5. j-rod

  12. @Mark Karau Can I have some of what you ate smoking? It must be great! Unless OPQS have perfected mechanical doping, or Cav is borrowing Martins legs.

  13. Wow! The prizes make the Tour The France even better!

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Contador
    2. Froome
    3. Porte
    4. Rodriguez
    5. Schleck

  14. VSP PICKS:

    1. C. Froome
    2. J. Rodriguez
    3. C. Evans
    4. A. Contador
    5. A. Valverde

  15. If there’s ever going to be a good time to stop lurking in the shadows of this entertaining community it is now.  The discussion here inspired me to lose a lot of sleep between the 4th and 26th of May this year, and I’m looking forward to doing the same again from June 29 to July 21st.  A combination of living in an Australian time zone and having two humans under the age of 3 living in my house are likely to present some challenges, but it will be worth it.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Froome
    2. Porte
    3. Van Garderen
    4. Contador
    5. Rodrieguez

  19. Bring on the Pain. I wish there were more contenders.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Froome
    2. Clentador
    3. TJVG
    4. Porte
    5. Rodriguez

  23. I can not possibly have got this wrong after myself & a team of 400 monkeys spent 8 hours working on it

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Chris Froome
    2. Vincenzo Nibali
    3. Tejay Van Garderan
    4. Alberto Contador
    5. Cadel Evans

  24. VSP PICKS:

    1. Chris Froome
    2. Rui Costa
    3. Richie Porte
    4. Peter Sagan
    5. Tejay Van Garderen

  25. Looking forward to 3 weeks of racing.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Chris Froome
    2. Cadel Evans
    3. Tejay VanGarderan
    4. Alberto Contador
    5. Ritchie Porte

  27. Lurker from Lurksville here. $30M tattslotto or VSP?

    VSP PICKS:

    1. chris froome
    2. alberto contador
    3. nairo quintana
    4. richie porte
    5. cadel evans

  28. I don’t know why that got submitted. This is the real deal, sorry

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Froome
    2. Piti
    3. Dan Martin
    4. J Rodriguez
    5. Contador

  29. VSP PICKS:

    1. Chris Froome
    2. TJ Van Garderen
    3. Richie Porte
    4. Alberto Contador
    5. Cadel Evans

  30. VSP PICKS:

    1. Contador
    2. Froome
    3. Evans
    4. J Rodriguez
    5. Tejay Van Garderen

  31. This thread doesn’t have enough photos.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Froome Dog
    2. J Rod
    3. Ritchie Porte
    4. Cadel
    5. Dirty Birtie

  32. Before I even post my picks, wow. Fantastic job on the prizes and sponsors. Thanks to the Keepers for their efforts. Thanks to the sponsors! Wow.

  33. @Phil Walker

    I can not possibly have got this wrong after myself & a team of 400 monkeys spent 8 hours working on it

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Chris Froome
    2. Vincenzo Nibali
    3. Tejay Van Garderan
    4. Alberto Contador
    5. Cadel Evans

    May want to talk to the monkeys. Nibbles isn’t riding this one.

  34. VSP PICKS:

    1. Chris Froome
    2. Cadel Evans
    3. Richie Porte
    4. Alberto Contador
    5. Nairo Quintana

  37. VSP PICKS:

    1. Chris Froome
    2. Alberto Contador
    3. Richie Porte
    4. Cadel Evans
    5. Joaquim Rodriguez

  39. Allez allez allez

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Froome
    2. Cadel
    3. Sagan
    4. Porte
    5. Dan Martin

  42. Thanks to the Keepers and those who provided the prizes! That’s quite a haul.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Contador
    2. Froome
    3. Purrito
    4. Valverde
    5. van Garderen

  43. Doh, I mean 3. Purito…………purrito sounds like some kind of odd cat themed comic book bad guy

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Contador
    2. Froome
    3. Purrito
    4. Valverde
    5. van Garderen

  46. VSP PICKS:

    1. Contador
    2. Van Garderen
    3. Rodriguez
    4. Evans
    5. Froome

  47. VSP PICKS:

    1. Chris Froome
    2. Alberto Contador
    3. Ryder Hesjedal
    4. Cadel Evans
    5. Richie Porte

  50. As a prize contributor, I think I deserve a cool badge!

    “Badges, we don’t need no stinkin’ badges…”

    How about a peek at something cool?

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Hesjedal
    2. Froome
    3. Contador
    4. Evans
    5. Sagen

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