Velominati Super Prestige: Le Tour de France, Stage 20
Reach for your recovery drink of choice, grab a little massage if you can, load up on carbs tonight, and get ready for the ultimate showdown for final Tour glory tomorrow to be contested in 41 kilometers contra la montre. I’m talking about the fans, not the riders, obviously. Because these last two days have nearly killed us.
This is anyone’s time trial. At 41km, it’s just long enough for Cadel to pull one out, and it’s just short and hilly enough for Andy to retain enough of his lead. Sure, Evans will certainly beat the Grimplette, but by how much? In last year’s final ITT, Andy almost pulled out the upset, until the wind kicked up and the youngster’s sit up and beg TT position had him more sail that sailor. It’s hilly enough to give the climbers a chance of staying in it, and the long descent to the finish will play to the fastmen against the clock.
Will his new Maillot Juane play Redbull to Andy and give him wings? Or will the scent of Yellow drag the Cadelamonster to his prize? Both Andy and Cadel know what it’s like to stand on the second step of the podium. Neither wants to stand there again. And both riders are different men than they were the last time it happened. Both have been hardened by the bitter taste of defeat that lingers long on the tongue.
I, for one, can hardly take it any more. Vive le Tour.
You know the drill, get your picks in by 5am Pacific tomorrow morning. Good luck.
Outside bet Voeckler to get on the podium (step 2!)?
Fabian is given freedom to ride and take the stage, Martin told to hold back to ensure Cav gets the win in Paris, Voeckler rides the TT of his life to move Frank down to 5th, while Spanish Beef makes time on both for 4th OA.
VSP PICKS:
1. Spartacus
2. Cuddles
3. Tony Martin
4. El Steakelero
5. Voeckler
3 picks from the head, two from the heart. Cuddles fr the final win in Paris. Andy might be the new Ray Polidour. Or Jan Ullrich.
VSP PICKS:
1. Spartacus
2. GoodCuddles
3. Levi
4. Ten Dam
5. Hoogerland
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Millar
3. Leipheimer
4. Evans
5. Boasson Hagen
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Martin
3. Evans
4. D. Miller
5. Voeckler
Anyone see that tweet from Bonnie D Ford suggestion ASO thinking reversion to national teams? If it was anyone but Ford, I’d say utter bullshit.
Initial thought.
VSP PICKS:
1. Faboo
2. Martin
3. Miller
4. Porte
5. Levi
Way late to the VSP party, so this is just for fun – Team Leotard Schleck will win the day with Spartacus, but Good Cadel will ride in yellow on Sunday, much to Raggedy Frandy’s (the Schleck’s after any time trial that isn’t entirely uphill) chagrin
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Martin
3. Millar
4. Evans
5. Velits
VSP PICKS:
1. Sparticus
2. Eggtimer
I really hope Cadel puts in some V and gets yellow!
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Millar
3. Martin
4. Evans
5. Boasson Hagen
Anyone catch Bertie smack some clown dressed in a surgeon’s gown on one of the climb’s?
VSP PICKS:
1. Spartacus
2. Eggtimer
3. Good Cadel
4. Clenbudator
5. Geraint Thomas
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Martin
3. Contador
4. Cadel
5. Tjallingii
Cuddles for the overall win
Aussie, aussie, aussie!
VSP PICKS:
1. spartacus
2. cuddles
3. schleck jr
4. tommy v
5. bassomatic
VSP PICKS:
1. spartacus
2. cuddles
3. tony martin
4. schleck jr
5. tommy v
As frank is fast as hell to initiate new posts, i’ll bring here the links for the videos taken in the Alpe d’Huez today…
As you can imagine it was quite fantastic being at the bottom of Alpe d’Huez !!!, The summit was impossible to get : road closed, police guarding the sheer number ( and diversity) of humans of all shapes, colors and fashion sense.
Riding there at 35km/h average ( 52km/D+500m) and coming back at 45km/h average to Grenoble this evening… Rahhhah lovely ! as an ex-Messenger and my my friend being a velocipedic Postman, we love to create singletracks between caravans and trucks : adrenalin pumped to the max!!! i am now utterly shattered offically.
(Well, i’ not the only one… 3kms from the finish in grenoble, my friend got a nasty encounter with my rear wheel (fuckin thuggish scooter biatch on a bike path involved … he flyed 3 meters down in a ditch with his Cervelo … result : shock state, left calves left bloody and lots of cuts… same as his beloved Rapha Jersey… it could have been much badder…, so… )))
first video : L’Echappée Pierre Rolland , Europcar in the Echappée with another racer
VIDEO 01
second video : Le Peloton ( seeing Jens Voigt passing totally baked at 30 cm from me was really incredible)
VIDEO 02
Third video : Le Groupe isolé
VIDEO 03
fourth video : Le Gruppetto ( Cancellara in the front)
VIDEO 04
Tomorrow : Grenoble !
I ‘ll try to post a first serie of photographs at 12-13 PM ( French Hour)
In the Evening, i ‘ll post the photos of racers taken the afternoon “in the wild” on the climbs…
well ,
all videos work .. but my comments aren’t accurate ; Jens & the peloton are in the first video 30s after the échappés…
i am so tired i can’t compute a thing ! sorry!
)
Cuddles in yellow for Sunday.
VSP PICKS:
1. Faboo
2. Martin
3. Cuddles
4. EBH
5. Cothodor
This is the first time I picked Contador for anything. I still hold a grudge against him even being in the race but there he is. This will be a small concelation prize for team RadioShack.
VSP PICKS:
1. Levi
2. Cancellara
3. Martin
4. Evans
5. Contador
VSP PICKS:
1. Spartacus
2. Cuddles
3. Tony Martin
4. Clenbutador
5. Grimplette
Cuddles took 30 seconds out of Andy in 2009 on a flat TT. But they had Ventoux the next day, and the steaks were very different. 57s in 43km is going to be hard. But then, remember when Jan crashed in the rain? Or when the chicken couldn’t keep his bike upright? And Merckx himself was kidney punched.
Oh my Merckx. tick. Ticktick. Ticktick.
VSP PICKS:
1. Spartacus
2. Martin
3. Cuddles
4. Levi
5. Cotho
I think Martin might be spent from his days in the mountains but still put on a good time. Faboo and Miller will be much fresher. I just want to see Porte ride for himself and EBH will go for it.
VSP PICKS:
1. Faboo
2. Miller
3. Martin
4. Porte
5. Ebh
VSP PICKS:
1. Faboo
2. Eggtimer
3. Richie P
4. D Millar
5. Good Cadelephant
Boom! 2011 TdF comes down to this: the only ITT. Newsflash: Andy Schleck CANNOT time trial! give the road a gradient for 60km, and he does the business. Make it flat, and he goes back to being a stroppy adolescent.
It is about time that the greatest cyclist of our generation stands up and gets counted: Come on Fabian!
VSP PICKS:
1. Spartacus
2. Tony Martin
3. David Millar
4. Cadel Evans
5. Don’t honestly care (Alberto)
The riders for the GC will not factor in the top 5; they are cooked and will find their places somewhere in the double-digits, with the possible exception of Cadelephant.
The course is hilly enough that Faboo will not have his usual edge, while Millar has been saving himself for a week, just to make sure he’s sharp. It’s hilly, it’s technical. This is his race.
VSP PICKS:
1. Millarcopter
2. Spartacus
3. Dean Martin
4. Van Garderen
5. The Eggtimer
After last night’s effort, I’m exhausted. Everyone was brilliant, as were the riders! Except for that fuckwit dressed as a surgeon. As much as I despise Bertie, respect for smacking that clown in the face.
Vive le Tour
VSP PICKS:
1. Good Cadel
2. Faboo
3. Asleck
4. My Favourite Martian
5. He ain’t thommo
I’m sticking this here because I need to get as much play out of it a possible but I think with all this talk of France and podiums, etc. it is relevant. OK, maybe it’s only relevant to me but deal with it.
BAM!
Cyclops rocking the V-Kit on the podium with the gold medal at the Southeast Idaho Sr. Games! While you all were watching Le Tour I was out crushing a bunch of 80 year olds.
But really, the way that the SR. Games road race works is that all the groups start together but they score you according to your age group – mine being the 50-54 yr old class. I actually finished second overall by about six inches. The guy that beat me (Bob Walker) is pretty much the top dog in Idaho as far as old guys are concerned – his wife is the U.S. National Cyclocross Champion in her age group this year. Bob’s a 56 year old Cat 3 that podiums in Cat 3 races all the time so he’s no slouch and I knew he was the guy to mark. While I think he probably knows who I am we’ve never raced against each other so I was an unknown factor. I basically responded the way he responded to anything that went on. If a little gap opened up and he didn’t do anything about it then I wouldn’t either. With about 5k to go there was a group of about nine of us off the front and there had been little mini attacks but I was just being patient. At one point Bob got behind me and I didn’t want him there so I just started soft pedaling and let a little gap open up and he was forced to close the gap so at the 1k mark there was a line of five of us with Bob in the four spot and me right behind him. The pace started ramping up but I waited for Bob to jump and as soon as he did I took off with him. We went around the three ahead of us and then I started to come around Bob but he pipped me by about 6″ at the line. Even though he beat me I feel real good about things because I’ve always been scared of him and the day we would meet in a race. The fact that I was coming around him has me pretty stoked!
And now for the French Connection – There was this little old dude on a Colnago and I didn’t think much of him until he rode up alongside me on one of the climbs and he finished with our lead group. I went up to him after the race and said “Dude, you’re a little old guy on a Colnago that rides like a hard man, you gotta be Italian.” He responds with a French accent “Well, yes, I am Italian (his name is Robert Paganini) but I was born in France.” Turns out he’s 75 and has been racing since the early 50’s and he’s a U.S. National champion in his age class. But the best part was our discussion about the race (of course this was all in his awesome French accent) – “Was that you that attacked on the first climb?” Yes. “Oh, I wanted to curse you. What are you doing? You have to be a gentelman and respect your elder. Tomorrow (there is a 40k RR tomorrow) you must not attack. Just relax and save your energy for the sprint. If you would not have attacked early today you would have had more energy for the sprint and won.” “Yes sir.”, was my response.
Actually I think I will attack on the hill at the 3k to go mark and see what happens. Mrs. Cyclops is always giving me a ration of crap for not laying it all out there and seeing what happens because I always ride defensively not having faith in my abilities and holding back instead of attacking. I promised her that I would attack no matter what tomorrow and see what happens.
Robert Paganini – 75 year old hardman.
VSP PICKS:
1. Faboo
2. Cuddlefish
3. My Favorite Martin
4. Elburpo
5. Robert Duvall
Nice story Cyclops As to “seeing what happens because I always ride defensively not having faith in my abilities and holding back instead of attacking” well I think most of us do that more often than not and is a hard habit to break.
But yes – you need to “have a crack” as we say down here.
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Cadel
3. Miller
4. Porte
5. Contador
@Cyclops
Cyclops FTW! Way to go, Mate. And M. Paganini? Rule #33 compliant Guns of Navarrone at 75? Respec. Great post. And, FWIIW, I agree with Mrs Cyclops. (Sorry M. Paganini.)
VSP PICKS:
1. Faro
Oh yes. Oh yes. Cuddles takes the cheese!
VSP PICKS:
1. Fabian
2. Tony martin
3. Cadel
4. Leipheimer
5. Contador
Revising picks after a coupla strong stovetop coffees.
Big question is how much time will separate the two perennial bridesmaids after the ITT. I reckon Cadel’s enormous testicles have the edge over Andy’s MJ-powered wings, but only to the tune of 33 seconds.
VSP PICKS:
1. Copterlauncher
2. Faboo
3. Brat Pack
4. Eggtimer
5. Very Good Cadelephant
Abject failure in the last VSP.
Accursed need to sleep made me miss most of last night. Idiot!
Go Cuddles for the MJ!
VSP PICKS:
1. Millar
2. Faboo
3. Cuddles
4. Tony Martin
5. EBH
VSP PICKS:
1. Tony Martin
2. Contador
3. Fabian
4. Cadel
5. Boasson Hagen
VSP PICKS:
1. martin
2. martin
3. martin
4. martin
5. martin
@Cyclops
Whilst @Frank appears to be left handed, @Cyclops is apparently ambidextrous.
Edit
VSP PICKS:
1. Faboo
2. Miller
3. Martin
4. Porte
5. Tjvg
Oh I can feel a horrible sense of bitter disappointment coming on… Pencilneck Schleck is gonna get some special training plans from Dr F I think.
And if that happens; MOST. UNDESERVING. WINNER. EVER.
VSP PICKS:
1. Millar
2. Fabs
3. Martin
4. Elepehant Balls
5. Cont
@brett
What do you call a one eyed Australian?
Blind.
Who’s even left in this race? Is Eggtimer? I get the feeling Millar is just too English to remember what winning is, if Cancellara wins this TT then he’s incomprehensibly good, but too big to win on the road today. A light strong TTer basically means Cadel, Bert and Levi, unless the Schlecks have whinged us into looking the other way while they’re doing their secret special TT training. Is Gilbert still riding?
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Martin
3. Contador
4. Van Garderen
5. Evans
@brett
Such a hater.
@Minion
Millar is a Scot isn’t he?
A. Schlecks whinging about the descent was tactical brilliance. I suspect he has been secretly TT’ing like a demon in training.
@brett
That’s just crazy talk… that move Andy pulled yesterday was the stuff of legends and the way he matched everyone on the road today was awesome. Definately deserving… much moreso than Cadel in any case! What was up with the wheelsucking Aussies today? Apart from chasing Andy yesterday, he’s been the embodiment of the COTHO Tour de France text book. In my eyes, Andy’s long solo yesterday was the best moment the Tour’s seen in decades and Cadel’s refusal to help chase today was almost as pathetic as Thor being afraid to take Fabian to the front at PR. Andy’s definitely the most deserving out of anyone in this years edition!
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Martin
3. Contador
4. Van Garderen
5. Evans
Millar just because I like him so much. Evans rides his legs off for the yellow.
VSP PICKS:
1. D. Millar
2. F. Cancellara
3. T. Martin
4. C. Evans
5. A. Contador
Faboo is Faboo. I’ll put DZ where he would have finished. Millar brings it home. Martin just doesn’t have the guns this year. Cuddles monsters through and Levi snags something. I’ve put him in this whole race, might as well stick with tradition.
VSP PICKS:
1. Faboo
2. Dave Zabriskie
3. Millarcopter
4. Cuddles
5. Levi
@Leroy
WTF?
Have you no idea about tactical nous?
Why would Evans chase anyone? The only people he had to mark were the Schlecks.
That’s stage racing. The prize is the MJ in Paris.
To call Cuddles a wheelsucker is just plain wrong.
I haven’t really got predictions. I have only the same wide eyed wonder I had when I was a kid watching Hinault/Lemond fight it out.
This will be fun.
VSP PICKS:
1. Millar
2. Cancellara
3. Evans
4. Contador
5. Leipheimer
Cadelephant will do the tt. of his life and pull on the yellow! I will probably nearly pee myself with nervous excitement!
VSP PICKS:
1. Motorcus
2. Cadelephant
3. Martin
4. Clenbutador
5. Eggtimer
Rearranged my picks already. Lame.
VSP PICKS:
1. Millar
2. Martin
3. Evans
4. Contador
5. Cancellara