Velominati Super Prestige: Liege-Bastogne-Liege 2015
Liege is an interesting animal; whereas the Cobbled Classics are the sole domain of the specialists known as de Klassiekers in Flemish who rarely show their faces as serious contenders in the other portions of the season (assuming you ignore John Degencobble or Al Kristoff), the Ardennes classics have a strong showing from the Grand Tour GC contenders, rouleurs, and climbing specialists alike. Liege, being the biggest of the lot, is the final showdown and provides the first real glimpse into what might unfold in May and July.
The route is a brute; the road back from Bastogne being packed tight with shortish, punchy climbs. My favorite of the lot is the Cote de Stockeu, which climbs up steeply before taking a hard left turn and dropping right back down to the precise point from where the climb started. Its inclusion in the route is gratuitous in the most sinister sense. From there to the finish the route is bumpy to say the least, and the final uphill grind through town is where the race is lost if you don’t have the legs.
Will Nibbles take it? He’s performed well in the final before. Or will one of the specialists take it this time around? Last year saw Gerrans take the win from a small group, but a solo winner is just as likely. Amstel had a big bunch, so maybe QuietKowski will show again.
Start your Prognostication Machines, ponder the start list, and set your alarms to remind yourself not to Delgado. Good luck, and remember we have a frame from Jaegher and wheels from Café Roubaix on offer for the overall VSP winner after Lombardy.
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When I used my cellphone, all 5 boxes showed up. On my laptop only one box shows up. I tried restarting the laptop, logging in then logging out, turning pop-ups on and off, but none of that worked on this laptop. Hopefully the system accepted my picks from my cellphone. It is a mystery to me (like so many other things).
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Here we go.
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It’s always so completely obvious after the fact.
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Going with my head for now. Might go with my heart (Kwiato) later…
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@Steampunk
It’s not so much outside family help as the threat of what he’d do or say if I didn’t pick Nibali!
@Phillip Mercer
Should I be worried if it says my pick isn’t yet mapped after I have submitted my picks?
@Ccos
so very true
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Piti has prepared well for Ardennes week…
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@Phillip Mercer
I had the same concern a few rounds ago – it’s not a problem. They often map right away but sometimes take longer.
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tweakage
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Valverde doesn’t do well in shit weather, Nibali and J-Rod are made of harder stuff.
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@dyalander
Thanks. Tim Wellens just hadn’t mapped yet (still the case at time of posting.)
Can anyone stop the green valley? I ‘m not sure they can . I just hope Gerrans doesn’t wheel suck his way to a good result .
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@rockkk
I’m happy to concede that Gerrans following wheels in Australian races against much weaker domestic riders was totally lame. But in a Monument against the best teams in the world, its just smart racing. The job of the other teams is to unhinge anyone who can finish better than their finisher. If they can’t do that, they have to accept the consequences. How long was Kwiatowski in the wind last weekend?
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Holding my nose with crossed fingers.
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My spelling is awful. But I’m afraid to change anything on my picks. Kwiatkowski. Sheesh.
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