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.
[dmalbum path=”/velominati.com/content/Photo Galleries/frank@velominati.com/Veloforma/”/]
[vsp_results id=”24179″/]
@PeakInTwoYears
OK, you dropped me there.
@Bianchi Denti
Great stage, agreed. I “worked” from home this morning. Highly productive.
More Madiot…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAok6jt97os&feature=player_embedded
Those crafty Dutch…
@VirenqueForever
Good LORD, what the HELL was that???
@VirenqueForever
And more. This one never gets old.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMmyyEOeVTs
@Cyclops
Clever, indeed.
@Nate
Sorry. Trying (failing) to pull the State of Jefferson/Emerald Triangle thing into last night’s “Americans do history” exercise. You should hear me play the piano…
From the tweets I’ve seen it looks like the grupetto enjoyed the crowds despite the hard climbs today. Check out this photo tweeted by Adam Hansen.
@Buck Rogers
…and some more…Watch @ 4:45 to 6:00 mins
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBat3Tq_N2g
@VirenqueForever
Goddamn! That would make me ride faster just to have him shut the fuck up!
I loved his explosion of passion at the end of the Pinot stage but all the yelling as the DS over the earphones would get REALLY old very quickly in my opinion!
@Buck Rogers
The rest of that video is actually pretty good, all in French though from 2004 TDF, really shows difference between a (considered) clean team with Casar compared to COTHO…
38 points for me. Not too shabby…
@Buck Rogers
5 (Porte for Quintana). But I got my picks in early, so I’m in the lead for the first time ever!
I also made it to work on time, but couldn’t face breakfast. So little do my so-called superiors know, but beer is currently my only fuel. I hope there were some slow release carbs in it…….zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
@motor city
Arrrgh…cock piss partridge.
I’ve just realised that if I hadn’t done a first rest day swap of Valverde for Porte i’d have 43.
@brett
I’m really starting to dislike Froome. No need to be a tosser just because the French officials didn’t fall for Sky’s feeble ruse. He may be falling into the trap of believing that people give a crap what he thinks.
“At the end of the day a rule is a rule and if I’ve been given 20 seconds I’ll have to take that, but if you look at the technicality it was actually Richie Porte who fed from the car not myself. I fed from Richie Porte so maybe that’s something that needs to be taken in consideration,”
@Bianchi Denti
Fuck me, he’s ahead by over 5 minutes. His own fault he bonked. With that reasoning he should pursue a legal career when his sporting career is over.
@motor city
Fine car, the Rover Vitesse.
@Bianchi Denti
Fuck cant wait too see that Veloforma smashin it up round here! Go BD!
So slept from 4-5, went to work at 6 I am dead, but that was awesome
@brett
Wouldn’t you know it…I’m tied for the points lead but 6th due to my timing. One spot out of a prize. Chances are Quintana is going to overtake Contador… so things might change a bit before Sunday, but that’s ra burner!
Is the timing based on when you first made your picks? or when you made your last rest day substitute? Probably wouldn’t make a difference but just wondering.
Either way my own damn fault for lagging!
@piwakawaka
BD is ineligible for the Veloforma… we can’t have a Keeper in Welli without a V-bike! (Plus I’m sure it’s a 56cm frame, so I’ll have to take it by default.)
@piwakawaka
If he wins, he will become Veloforma Denti and will be known as VD.
@Bianchi Denti
Wow! If that is true, what a tosser fuck he is. Talk about bullshit! Fuck’in take your punishment and move on. Massive loss of respect for him on that one.
@Nate
That was a bit weak but it seems he wasn’t the only one pulling sneaky shit. Eurosport pundits were speculating that Cuntador swapped bikes before the final ascent to avoid a rumoured UCI bike check.
@LA Dave
Swapping out should drop you below everyone that did not swap for timing considerations. Not sure about the timing between people who both swapped.
@G’rilla
Maybe. Or Veloforma denti Bianchi . VdB has a historical ring to it.
I just hope Contador stops fucking around and settles for 2nd. If he keeps trying to beat an obviously superior rider, the VSP top 6 could look a lot different after Stage 19. And I don’t want that…
Got to say it is rewarding to see riders crack, kind of puts all the hyperbolic vitriol into perspective a bit for me, they were burning matches and clearly the boxes are getting empty.. Tomorrows stage should be good!
@Chris
The reports are that both of Cothodor’s bikes were tested for weight after the stage…
@Bianchi Denti
Nice work laddie. Rigid too. Go, go, go!
Contador has to stay in second for you does he? Gulp. Berti keeps showing he is missing a certain something from his former glory days. FFS, today’s stage was a killer. I want to hear someone badmouth their electronic shifting. Like TJVG pissing on his bike, something.
As much as I was cheering on the little Colombian last night, now being within spitting distance of that gorgeous Veloforma has me hoping for Bertie & Roman getting some time back on him to slot him down one to 4th…
@Gianni
That’s right. Bertie needs to stop fucking around, and instead spend his energy marking Quintana and JRod. Or he will drop off the podium, and that will just make Bjarne’s sponsors angry. And me angrier!
WTF???
@brett
Given that youve pronounced BD ineligable for the Veloforma…. i assume there is only one Barracuda, therefore, me, Ill happily take it if status quo remains.
Given ive never won anything in my life except my better half and two amazing kids, I WONT get my hopes up with 3 days to go.
@Bianchi Denti
Bit of advice. Don’t start picking out kit for it quite yet (you know, how light and sexy can I afford to make it). You’ll lose the yellow tomorrow.
@scaler911
The Campa chickens have not been counted. Contador’s riding like a twat, and I expect him to ruin everything while trying to claw back 5 minutes tonight. Kreuziger will be forced to wait for him, and the whole VSP will change.
But that’s why we love bike racing, right?
Not sure if anyone’s come across these from yesterday but it would appear Hansen & Degenkolb helped themselves to a couple of beer hand ups going through Dutch corner.
Its funny- finding myself rooting for contador and waiting for him to have the magical explosion propelling him well beyond his competitors. Finding Froome to be an evolving villain with an opaque character and an absence of human-ness. Of course, if Contador delivers, gonna be one of the first to question the integrity of his effort and cry foul, a la floyd landis miracle stage years ago…
Assistance required by me. If standings stay the same… whilst Im typing this a liitle bit of wee came out.. I assume the above VSP stays the same? I assume Rodriguez is the only one who can spoil the show for me and BD ?? Or am I totally out of whack with how this thing is scored. Hard to type when hands are shaking so much!
@Mikael Liddy
Saw the image from Hansen’s Twitter account today. Kept going back to it because it makes me smile. Such a contrast to the usual high seriosity of the coverage. Somebody’s managing to have fun.
@Barracuda Jeeee-Sus!!! Even if BD is elligible (and I suspect he is, methinks Brett is just trying to wind him up), you’re possibly in for a sweet set of hoops off Dan_R!
I’m only 5 down on you guys, and if the Roman Cross swaps places with everyone’s new favourite coke trafficker, a game of leapfrog may be played.
btw, I know you’re southern based but do you get up to much riding up Adelaide way? Seems ridiculous to have a fellow Velominatus in the backyard without having met.
Easy fellas two full stages to go! Fuck it ya gotta cross the line in Paris too so three stages!
@Mikael Liddy
Given Ive bitten off every fingernail on both hands due to my F*&king VSP hopes its hard to type, but yes, a few of us southerners do come up your way from time to time. We did a couple of rides with the Oxygen crew at McLaren Vale over the last couple of weeks and thats pretty cool doing the Ranges…. The “W” as its affectionately known, i.e. up Willlunga Hill and back down, across to Penny;s and back down , then up Wickams and back down …. Two kids stems the flow of travel much further for new adventures though … Victor Harbor and Surrounds it is for the most.
@piwakawaka
Never let the truth get in the way of a good story !
How to sully a yellow jersey? It’s easy….fail to accept that you are about to blow, bend the rules and send a team-mate back to the car for gels within no feed zone, rather than dealing with it, pushing yourself beyond the limit to deal with your opponents coming back to you. He had a buffer of 4.5 minutes FFS! I’m a little disappointed that Hinault didn’t punch him and tell him to Harden The Fuck Up on the podium!
This is my opinion and by definition someone’s opinion cannot be wrong as it is theirs and theirs alone. Feel free to disagree, but you know I’m right.
@Mike_P Hmm. Not sure about your logic there. You would appear to accept that someone with an opinion counter to yours cannot be wrong. I would suggest therefore that, if my opinion is not wrong, it is right and given that I do not accept that:
the logical outcome is that you must be wrong.
More importantly, though, it should be noted that logic is rarely applied or heeded round here.
The act of sending Porte back to the car for a snack wasn’t that heinous I don’t think any of the other contenders would have done any differently, but to then go on and complain that he’d incurred the penalty rather than Porte and that the team car had suffered a mechanical was fucking pathetic.
He should have just taken it and if he felt the need to comment, said “I did what I needed to do”.
@Mike_P
If by your definition an opinion can’t be wrong then it can’t be right either. Cycling News forum needs some people with opinions BTW… they’ve put out an urgent call.
The rule is for safety purposes. I may be paraphrasing but it says something like:
“On a mountain filled from top to bottom with drunken idiots who can and will do whatever shit they want, and who historically have been known to punch, spit at, push, obstruct, tangle with, stand in the way of and let their dogs run in front of riders, it is strictly forbidden for team cars to approach riders within the last 5km of stage, just in case anyone was so insane as to attempt such a perilous manouevre.”
@Sauterelle Brilliant. +1.
@ChrisO @Chris Opinion has various definitions depending on the context of its use, but I’m going to plump for this: Noun – judgment or belief not founded on certainty or proof. I think that just about gives me or anyone the leeway to talk bollocks.