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”

  1. @mouse

    @Mikael Liddy

    @Beers

    @Mikael Liddy They will stick out like dogs balls, which although ugly, will get them notice on the boob tube by us numpties, which is probably what the sponsors want. Think what you want of Vini Fantini, but the flouro yellow is marketing gold in the blur of the peleton. Cue vomit inducing flouro paint jobs for all the teams…

    Oh no doubt, same as the bright red/orange paint job Specialized did at last year’s olympics.

    Oddly, I don’t mind them.

    I do ride a pink bike though, so there is that….

    Black bar tape is all they need, still think the Baum is way nicer, I quite like the fluorescent orange Specialized frames, they look good on the road and you can tell ya Ma you’re wearing Hi Vis.

  3. @piwakawaka yeah I think it’s the blue stem, bars, tape & seat post that’s too much…kinda like the overmatched kit.

  4. I’ve been avoiding comin’ on over here because I’m fearing a boring overall GC race. Defensive, defensive, defensive. But my goodness, the prizes?! I get worked up over the shop apron. I don’t know what might happen with a frame, shoes, jersey, wheelset up for grabs. WOW!

    Teal Treks. Pretty bad, but I think I’m more turned off by the size of the lever on those skewers. Yikes. I guess if you forget your Swiss army knife on the touring ride you can take it off and use it to slurp your soup.

  6. Oh boy, Blanco won’t be riding blanco kits in Le Tour? Hmm, have they been revealed. I’m guessing the answer is yes, as it’s Thursday, just two days away. I kinda liked them. All I can ask is: not more tennis ball, not more blue/teal, or black/white (yes, I realize they were blue, white, and black but I liked the simplicity).

  7. VSP PICKS:

    1. Chris Froome
    2. Cadel Evans
    3. Joaquim Rodriguez
    4. Ryder Hesjedal
    5. Peirre Rolland

  8. @Mikael Liddy

    @piwakawaka yeah I think it’s the blue stem, bars, tape & seat post that’s too much…kinda like the overmatched kit.

    Definitely a way to go to get Gulf-erized, but I agree – too much of a decent thing going on here.  Odd thing here is that the ‘Trek’ in white is not that easy to see, which befuddles me from an advertiser’s point of view.  Black I could see, but white is difficult to read on a paler background color.  That blue is a bit brighter than NC blue – if Pepto Bismol were blue instead of pink, that would be the exact shade.  That Baum is sex on wheels, in every aspect.

    @Beers  Dogs Balls?  Blue balls, perhaps …..

    @Ron – yes, the simplicity of the Blanco kits has been refreshing

  9. VSP PICKS:

    1. Alberto Contador
    2. Christopher Froome
    3. Cadel Evans
    4. Nairo Quintana
    5. Tejay Van Garderen

  11. @Ron

    Oh boy, Blanco won’t be riding blanco kits in Le Tour? Hmm, have they been revealed. I’m guessing the answer is yes, as it’s Thursday, just two days away. I kinda liked them. All I can ask is: not more tennis ball, not more blue/teal, or black/white (yes, I realize they were blue, white, and black but I liked the simplicity).

    Here you are Ron – welcome Team Belkin and the most rushed/possibly worst team kit in the peleton.

  13. VSP PICKS:

    1. Chris Froome
    2. Joaquim Rodriguez
    3. Alberto Contador
    4. Cadel Evans
    5. Dan Martin

  15. VSP PICKS:

    1. cadel
    2. froome
    3. contador
    4. van garderen
    5. van den broeck

  16. @the Engine

    @meursault

    @the Engine It would be brave man who said irrecoveraby yes, but he does have a bike race to prepare for, rather than checking his emails.

    I felt it was a somewhat manufactured story

    And thus they have achieved exactly what the previously unknown organisation wished for

  23. VSP PICKS:

    1. cavendish
    2. evans
    3. sagan
    4. van garderen
    5. contador

  24. VSP PICKS:

    1. Chris Froome
    2. Tejay Van Garderen
    3. Richie Porte
    4. Joaqim Rodriguez
    5. Alberto Contador

  25. VSP PICKS:

    1. Chris Froome
    2. Tejay Van Garderen
    3. Richie Porte
    4. Joaquim Rodriguez
    5. Alberto Contador

  26. Year of the English-speakers.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Froome
    2. Hesjedal
    3. Van Garderen
    4. Porte
    5. Talansky

  27. VSP PICKS:

    1. Chris Froome
    2. Alberto Contador
    3. Richie Porte
    4. Van Garderen
    5. Joaquiem Rodriguez

  29. VSP PICKS:

    1. Chris Froome
    2. Alberto Contador
    3. Joaqim Rodriguez
    4. Tejay Van Garderen
    5. Richie Porte

  32. Bit of a change after spotting no Nibali on tour…

    VSP PICKS:

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

  34. VSP PICKS:

    1. Froome
    2. Contador
    3. Rodriguez
    4. van Garderen
    5. Hesjedal

  35. Contador is the A-Rod of cycling. Immensely talented, but I hate him!!!!!

  36. Yeah. ok.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Froome
    2. Contador
    3. Porte
    4. Nibali
    5. Hesjedal

  37. Decided to bet on the Spanish Beefsteak instead of my previous febrile choice of Evans

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Contador
    2. Froome
    3. Sagan
    4. Quintana
    5. Voeckler

  38. Trying again as the magic matching script got Quintana wrong

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Contador
    2. Froome
    3. Sagan
    4. Nairo Quintana
    5. Voeckler

  39. VSP PICKS:

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

  40. VSP PICKS:

    1. Froome
    2. Rodriguez
    3. Contador
    4. TJ Van Garderen
    5. Quintana

  42. Painless

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Froome
    2. Tee Jay VG
    3. Contadour
    4. Quintana
    5. Dan Martin

  43. Kudos to Jens 41 and still the embodiment of Rule #5

    SHUT UP LEGS!

    VSP PICKS:

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

  44. Shame there’s no room for Talansky, Porte, Hesjdahl, Cuddles, Roland, Dan Martin, Van den Broek or Schlecky (Ok, maybe not baby Schleck) on this list…. Think 3rd through the early teens is a crap-shoot!

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Clenador
    2. Froome-dog
    3. TVG
    4. Purito
    5. Quintana Roo

  45. TJ Has quietly been honing his grand tour form this year, which he showed a little bit of in California.  He is also demonstrated more maturity this year as a team cyclist.  I look for him support Good Cadel in the first week and then be named team leader after Bad Cadel shows up on Stage 8.

    The Sky train will be consistent.  However, all the teams know their tactics and they’ve been riding the same team for Froome/Wiggins this year.  With all of the mountain opportunities for GC favorites, I expect Sky to eventually crack under the pressure of constant attack. Look for Purito or Clenbutador to ride the Polka Dot’s into the twilight of the Champs-Élysées

    With such a deep set of riders, Team Garmin-Sharp will clean up the Team Classification, but won’t hold a YJA this year.  I do expect that they will win a couple of summit finishes with a snappy Dan Martin or my White Jersey pick (by virtue of TJV’s Yellow), Andrew Talansky.  We will see Farrar in the bunch sprint of all the flat stages, but will not be able to over come Peter Sagan or this year’s Green Jersey, Cavendish.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Van Garderen
    2. Froome
    3. Dan Martin
    4. Porte
    5. Bad Cadel

  46. TJ Has quietly been honing his grand tour form this year, which he showed a little bit of in California. He is also demonstrated more maturity this year as a team cyclist. I look for him support Good Cadel in the first week and then be named team leader after Bad Cadel shows up on Stage 8.

    The Sky train will be consistent. However, all the teams know their tactics and they’ve been riding the same team for Froome/Wiggins this year. With all of the mountain opportunities for GC favorites, I expect Sky to eventually crack under the pressure of constant attack. Look for Purito or Clenbutador to ride the Polka Dot’s into the twilight of the Champs-Élysées

    With such a deep set of riders, Team Garmin-Sharp will clean up the Team Classification, but won’t hold a Yellow Jersey this year. I do expect that they will win a couple of summit finishes with a snappy Dan Martin or my White Jersey pick (by virtue of TJV’s Yellow), Andrew Talansky. We will see Farrar in the bunch sprint of all the flat stages, but will not be able to over come Peter Sagan or this year’s Green Jersey, Cavendish.

  47. VSP PICKS:

    1. Cadel Evans
    2. Chris Froome
    3. Alberto Contador
    4. Richie Porte
    5. Andy Schleck

  49. VSP PICKS:

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

  50. VSP PICKS:

    1. Chris Froome
    2. Alberto Contador
    3. Tejay Van Garderen
    4. Richie Porte
    5. Ryder Hesjedal

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