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″/]
VSP PICKS:
1. Froome
2. Contador
3. Sagan
4. Rodruigez
5. Porte
VSP PICKS:
1. Froome
2. Contador
3. JRod
4. Valverde
5. Evans
Fun AND Prizes? This site is gold. Ore Category.
Thanks Keepers.
VSP PICKS:
1. Froome
2. Contador
3. Evans
4. Rodriguez
5. Porte
Good luck all, thanks to the sponsors for some awesome prizes.
VSP PICKS:
1. Evans
2. Contador
3. Froome
4. J Rodruigez
5. Porte
VSP PICKS:
1. Froome
2. Contador
3. Rodriguez
4. Evans
5. Van Garderen
VSP PICKS:
1. Froome
2. Valverde
3. Rodriguez
4. Evans
5. Uran
Really no idea, so I’m going for a combination noone else has picked….
VSP PICKS:
1. Chris Froome
2. Joaquim Rodriguez
3. Jurgen van den Broeck
4. Tejay van Garderen
5. Bouke Mollema
@frank
Gotta admit it’s funny though…
I’m going to have to think about this. What if Froome falls off – those Corsivcan roads look twisty – who knows which nervous GC contender will pick up no more that a busted collar bone? What if C*ntador is really as crap as his form suggests and isn’t sandbagging. What if Cuddles is no better that the average middle aged Australian with a dog issue? Who’s the one that our groupthink hasn’t seen that is going to stay up in the top ten in the first week?
Because we are all playing with a limited deck – some combination of Froome Dog, Tralfamador, Good Cadelphant, Purito and Any Porte in a Storm and the odd wild card – is this the time to put in a mad list because all the obvious choices are already split 15 ways and will go to whoever thought of them first? i.e. not me.
Who’s going to be brave and try for a break straight out of the Neutral Zone on Stage One – am I man enough? I’m off for a beer to think about it.
PS – watched the British Champs in Glasgow today and Cavendouche was fucking awesome.
PPS – Was delighted that Rock & Road were represented in the race today
@strathlubnaig
Alors – on Friday I had to explain to the posh father of one of my daughter’s posh friends what the objects described in and alluded to in Rule #51 were and indeed what they might be used for when he riffled through the copy of the Rules I was reading poolside. He did grasp Rule #5 fortunately although its unlikely to come in to general use at his golf club.
I’m nearly 50 for fuck’s sake and a have a number of teenage children – nothing – I repeat nothing – shocks me linguistically anymore.
VSP PICKS:
1. Chris Froome
2. Alberto Contador
3. Teejay Van Garderen
4. JVDB
5. Thibaut Pinot
Only the
truley knows
1. Chris Froome
2. Richie Porte
3. Alberto Contador
4. Joaquim Rodriguez
5. Cadel Evans
VSP PICKS:
1. Chris Froome
2. Richie Porte
3. Alberto Contador
4. Joaquim Rodriguez
5. Cadel Evans
VSP PICKS:
1. Froome
2. Contador
3. Evans
4. Quintana
5. Porte
If I win, please can I have a spa week away somewhere warm instead, without @ the Engine?
VSP PICKS:
1. Candelabra
2. Froomebroom
3. Sagan
4. Vockler
5. Ten Dam
@Mrs Engine if you win make him build you a better rig than his(don’t know what he rides)….
VSP PICKS:
1. Froome
2. Contador
3. Van Garderen
4. Evans
5. Sagan
@the Engine
Who was that ? Got to say, there were a serious amount of either DNF or OTL and some well known names in there too. The 6 minute gap to the first chasing group alone was huge. I guess the mean streets of No Mean City proved a tough challenge for all. Pity I was stuck out here keeping the Western Economy afloat.
@strathlubnaig
I just read 21 finishers out of 160 at the start, is that a record ??
@Mrs Engine No, but we won’t keep you from using it to ride away from him.
@the Engine
Have you listened to Yeezus?
@strathlubnaig
What? Wait…
There’s a book?
My picks.
Also you can join in a “Private Competition” on SBS ‘s Fantasy Cycling comp at;
http://www.sbs.com.au/cyclingcentral/home/fantasy
PC name: Velominati Oz
Password: RuleNo5
I am unsure if non-Aust residents are barred or not, but give it a go. Create your ultimate team and I’ll see you on the League Table.
VSP PICKS:
1. Froome
2. Evans
3. Contador
4. Porte
5. Pinot
As a Canadian born cyclist I wanted ever so badly to have Ryder as my 5th pick, but…I dug down to my Frisian roots and went for the consistency of Bauke.
VSP PICKS:
1. Froome
2. Contador
3. Porte
4. Evans
5. Mollema
VSP PICKS:
1. Good Cadel
2. Froome Dog
3. Van Gardener
4. J Rod
5. Clenbutador
VSP PICKS:
1. Good Cadel
2. Froome Dog
3. Van Gardener
4. J Rod
5. Clenbutador
@Andre the Fish
Perhaps this is who you mean?
Not sure if this loaded before? Seriously……
VSP PICKS:
1. Evans
2. Quintana
3. Porte
4. Contador
5. Sagan
VSP PICKS:
1. Froome, C.
2. Contador, A.
3. Evans, C.
4. Van Garderen, T.
5. Porte, R.
VSP PICKS:
1. Cadel
2. JRod
3. Pinot
4. Porte
5. Uran
@il ciclista medio pure awesome in that photo!
VSP PICKS:
1. Froome
2. Evans
3. Hesjedal
4. Vangarderen
5. Contador
VSP PICKS:
1. Froome
2. Contador
3. Quintana
4. Sagan
5. Porte
VSP PICKS:
1. Cuntador
2. Cadelaphant
3. Mr. Michelle Cound
4. TJ Van G
5. Porte
VSP PICKS:
1. Chris Froome
2. Alberto Contador
3. Jurgen Van Den Broeck
4. Joaquim Rodriguez
5. Richie Porte
VSP PICKS:
1. Chris Froome
2. Alberto Contador
3. Jurgen Van Den Broeck
4. Joaquim Rodriguez
5. Cadel Evans
@frank
Heh, sorry Frank, I did say they were placeholders. Real picks coming soon! Just my take on Kurt Vonnegut’s fictional planet, but given the Spanish touch sans the e.
“In Slaughterhouse-Five, Tralfamadore is the home to beings who exist in all times simultaneously, and are thus privy to knowledge of future events, including the destruction of the universe at the hands of a Tralfamadorian test pilot. They kidnap Billy Pilgrim, the protagonist of the novel, and place him in a zoo on Tralfamadore with Montana Wildhack, a Hollywood starlet.”
So, as you see, ‘knowledge of future events’, VSP, not so different.
I just can’t bring myself to pick Froome because Sky suck arse, but Richie goes in coz he is Aussie. Bertie and Co will slaughter them. Quintana profits and Cadel latches on for the ride. J-Rod is good but loses in TT and has his traditional off day. Tommy V pokes his tongue out and harangues his team mates on the way to a glorious stage win.
VSP PICKS:
1. Contador
2. Quintana
3. Cadel
4. Rodriguez
5. Porte
@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.
@frank
That’s a bit rough @Frank.
Everyone knows that only Americans and Europeans dope.
@frank
I tip my hat to you sir; that is a great image
VSP PICKS:
1. Evans
2. Froome
3. Porte
4. Contador
5. Van Garderen
@mouse
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.
@Andre the Fish
That is courtesy of @mqsqueak. He also did one of Obi-Wan as Merckx way back in the day, but allegedly can’t get ahold of a high-enough res image to do one worth posting again in this retina era we live in.
Seems a bit of a pain that some of my picks are irreverent trailing off to incomprehensible, so I’ll switch them to ‘new’ easy map ‘real’ picks. I just feel the fog set in re selections at around pick 3, which leads to creativity or worse. Sorry for the headache.
VSP PICKS:
1. Froome
2. Contador
3. Evans
4. Hesjedal
5. Porte
VSP PICKS:
1. Froome
2. Contador
3. Porte
4. Van Garderen
5. Sagan
I am torn, Good Cadel is out and in form this season, but the tour is a long race for an old man and I have a feeling that Dirty Bertie will ride himself in to form during the Tour. Froomedog will fall off at some point, and Jrod will be tactically suicidal as usual and give it all away. Teejay will suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune and a good liuetenant for Nelly the Cadelephant and as such will make the top five (but could podium if Jekyll and Hyde lets bad Cadel take over)….
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..
VSP PICKS:
1. Dirty Bertie
2. Cadelephant
3. Vroom Vroom
4. Jrod
5. TJ VG