Velominati Super Prestige: Le Tour de France 2013
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″/]
OMFG poor Peraud. How nightmarish to be so severely punished for having the balls to attempt the TT already broken.
@ChrisO +1. What is this, some kind of fucking duathlon?
need berto to lose time and jrod and valverde to drop hammer and 2 man break to make up lots of time. and bad cadel, i have no idea how i had him for 2nd.
paolo, i cant find your picks. who in the world did you have??
@Buck Rogers
Yep: I need JRod to jump into fourth and Quintana keep fifth and then my picks look pretty good (I had Valverde third). Also, Contador needs to drop Froome at the top of the first ascent of l’Alpe d’Huez and take over first…
misery loves company. glad to see others had bad cadel in their picks as well. doesnt relieve the sting but at least i wont drown alone
@starclimber
It gets worse… according to Inrng his second crash was right in front of his wife and family who had come to that corner to cheer him on.
@Steampunk
No, no, no. Froome and Bertie need to stay put. Malmerde and Danny M need to go out on a mental suicide break and quintana needs to fail. Rodriguez needs to give it a go too. A man can dream, right? Whatever happens, the top 5 ain’t settled yet.
@frank really all I need is Valverde to figure out a way to get back into 3rd.
now, if JRod would just somehow pull up and get in, my picks would be even better, or hows about Tejay, or Porte
I know, not happening, I’m happy with what I have
@Steampunk
Oh, so, quite likely to happen, right? Just like a nice, 26 C degree ride in your parts in February? I now have Froome and Cuntador in the correct slots without any rest day swaps so that gives me 35 points. Just need J-Rod to slot into 3rd and I’m golden. Yeah, that’s about as likely to happen as your 26 C ride in February.
Not counting the chickens quite yet. I want J Rod to uncork something special in next couple days and move up into 3rd.
God, I’m not going to be able to sleep till Friday.
@roger
The thing is I changed all five picks on the 2nd rest day which has given me minus points which probably does not compute so zero at the bottom of the heap go I. Just dickin about really since I wasn’t going to win anyways….bit like Cadel today.
Or Froome stays in 1st and everyone else falls off
I’m feeling for Ten Dam after two tough days. My undying admiration for a guy so in the red that he can’t spit farther than his face.
Aw, goodbye wool jersey! I hardly knew thee.
Oh well, I’ll just jack the V-frame from Scaler’s garage next time he is off camping. We’re about the same height, though I don’t know if I’m man enough to power the cranksets he chooses to use.
@xyxax
The Breukink of the new generation?
@paolo
You can’t go negative, but all the people with zero points are sorted by how negative their numbers are.
@frank I would be happy winning a cereal box prize. Or just win the cereal.
@paolo
Math is your friend, mate. Next time compare the points available for the pick to the penalty incurred.
I’m thinking that Nairo can make up the 35 seconds on Mollema in the high mountains…and I’m hoping that Kreuziger has to work too hard for Contador and gets dropped and slides out of the top 5…
One can dream can’t he?
@frank
+2
@mcsqueak
I know where you live.
Unless J Rod and Malmerde find a case of Irn Bru on the road to Alpe D’Huez my VSP is sunk. There’s 2 things I’m sure about though – 1. if @strathlubnaig wins another VSP the rest of us Jocks will never hear the end of it and 2. I’m going to get him to pick some lotto numbers for me. I’ll settle for 5 plus the bonus ball please.
Mind you he could do with some new kit to replace on his well worn in Focus with 250k on the clock.
So who wins tomorrow’s stage? Anyone care to guess? Andy Schleck has been looking better and better each day. He is far enough back on GC to have a go and get away with it. Roche? Cannot see him winning, although he’ll try like hell early on and fail famously. Froome? Let’s this one get away to quiet a few doubters? Sparky Contador keeps attacking until he breaks Froomie? J-Rod drops them all with 3 k’s to go? Mollema and Tan Dem who will have no lack of home supporters and history as well on their side? John “Fuck-no-you-can’t-have-my-wheel” Gadret? Kreuze? Martin? Porte? Gesink perhaps? Evans back form the dead (wouldn’t count on THAT one)???
For my money, I am betting on Kreuziger followed by J-Rod and Froomie.
No matter what, it will be awesome!
@Nate
It’s “maths” ( we invented the bleedin’ language after all….) and like I said, just messing about really with no real chance of teh win!! Perhaps I can get a pack of butt butter as the booby prize for coming flat last. ( see I mentioned boobs..now all I have to do is squeeze in some nipple lube and burbon and this will be the best post ever!!)
@paolo
Yeah Nate: I killed the bottle solo, but I really could not bear the thought of sharing good bourbon with anyone who does not just drink it straight. No mix, no ice for me, just pure straight room temp right out of the bottle.
Man, I need to make a Cogal with you guys sometime. We have some serious drinking to do!
And paolo: Nice job throwing the boobs and nipple lube in there! JiPM would be proud!
@Buck Rogers
None of that helps my vsp, so fuck it. Seriously though, tomorrow should be awesome. Contador has not laid down yet, so I think we will see some Kreuziger/Contador/Rogers funny business, with Kreuziger going on the first ascent hoping to isolate Froome for the second go round. If Quintana decides to go with Kreuziger, it could get very fun, very fast.
Should be interesting if it rains…
@paolo Way to outflank @brett for the lanterne rouge. Don’t you live over here? We say “math” and there are more of us.
@Buck Rogers Can’t fault you for no ice. I like a little ice for bourbon, but not for Scotch. Come on out and we’ll run a cogal in your honor.
@Nate
I do live over here and I switch nationalities as is my wont. Bit like Frank only it’s more legit becaue I have dual citizenship. You do say math. There are more of you. It just makes you wronger….
@Buck Rogers
I think Kreuziger would be fired in Paris if he did that.
@Bianchi Denti I expect the Spanish Inquisition will be tightening the thumbscrews on Froome again tonight – can’t wait. Some strong work expected from Porte and Rogers. I also expect the fans to be mental on Alpe du Huez. Just hope P1 & P2 can hold their shit together and get the names right at least!
@Nate
My question is, how many of them are they doing? One math is all I’ve ever been able to handle.
Yeah, come out anywhere on the west coast and someone will sort you out. Come to Seattle and we’ll kick it ‘clops style and do one just to drop you a few times.
@paolo
We are not wronger, we is worser.
@frank
Who knows. Anyhow, I don’t think I have ever heard of a famous British mathematician.
@Bianchi Denti
Nah, kind of Kline how Servais Knaven won Paris Roubaix while on Museeuw’s team. One of his attacks will stick when he and Bertie are one-two’ing Froomie. Cuntador will still be top five, I bet.
@Nate
I’m thinking you probably have heard of the godfather of calculus, Sir Isaac Newton.
@paolo Hm, good point. “Calculus” is singular, right?
@Buck Rogers
Little Andy is going to go up the road with a couple other non-contending climbers for the win, and the top 10 will try and crack Zoomy 6-7 min back. It will be exciting, but won’t work. Unless Clenbutador is having steak for dinner tonight.
@scaler911
Interesting to see if Froomey and Portey get musettes inside the no-feed zone again. Strange that nothing seemed to appear in the media about that. I woudl have thought that was worth some cheap scuttlebutt. But maybe that’s just a sad reflection on me…
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.