Velominati Super Prestige: Men’s Olympic Road Race 2012
You can all wave “goodbye” to your Post GT Depression Syndrome, because the Men’s Olympic Road Race is only three days yonder. I don’t typically give two shits about this particular event; while contested by national teams, unlike the Worlds it appears as just another one-day race on a calendar filled with events that carry much more historical and nostalgic significance. What’s worse, it seems the brilliance has faded from the flame of Olympic Spirit – after all, what is an international sports rivalry without the associated political Boggie Dance of Political Superiority? Merckx, I miss the Cold War.
But this time is different. Contested in London over a route that may or may not favor the squat little speed demon Mark Cavendish, the Cycling world has been abuzz about whether his presence on Team Sky alongside Pippi Longstockings implies his impending doom or his certain success – because everyone knows those are the only two possibilities. Be that as it may, the route boasts to be lumpy enough for breakaways or small field sprints, which makes this particular Velominatus, for once, really excited to see what happens. Oh, and as a special request to the riders, if we could keep everyone off the juice this time round, that would be peaches and creame.
With that, check the start list and pretend like that is going to help you make your predictions. Then look at the route and do the same before making a wild guess and hoping you come up good. One-Day VSP rules apply; get your picks in by the time the countdown timer goes to zero and pray for daylight.
Good luck.
The English will send an gritty expendable Scotsman up the road as bait but it will all backfire as Lord Cavendish gets stuck when a stray corgi brings down the bunch…
VSP PICKS:
1. Gerrans
2. Millar
3. Sorenson
4. Albasini
5. Terpstra
Don’t think the sprinters are going to hang. But WTF do I know?
VSP PICKS:
1. T Boo
2. Nibbles
3. Gesink
4. TJ in the Garden
5. Roche Jr.
Has to come down to a sprint. Finishes on The Mall for Christ sake!
VSP PICKS:
1. Caviar
2. Andre the Giant
3. Sagan
4. Matty Goose
5. Like a Boss Hog
VSP PICKS:
1. cavendish
2. cancellara
3. sagan
4. goss
5. boonen
I’m shooting for a break to stick & the boy Sagan to stomp on everyone.
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan
2. Philbert
3. Gerrans
4. Millar
5. Chavanel
I’m predicting it will end up in a bunch sprint and hence no one can go past the missile. Gossy is ever the bridesmaid again with Sagan rounding out the podium.
There was a time where I couldn’t stand Cav but I’ve warmed to him now. His 2nd stage win at this years TDF was definately a highlight for me and it was nice to see the world champ win on the Champs as well – as opposed to being reduced to being waterboy! God I hope he leaves SKY….
VSP PICKS:
1. Cavendish
2. Greipel
3. Sagan
4. Nibali
5. TeJay Van Garderen
While you’d have to be insane to bet against Cav, I am getting thoroughly sick of the English crowing and sincerely hope someone rocks up to spoil the party; I think the other teams, especially Belgium, have to smash the race to bits and screw up Enger-land’s game plan, but despite that Cav will still win. The only other scenario I can see is Boonen getting away with a small selection that may as well include Cancellara and Gilbert, who probably have points to prove at this point in the season.
If Team Sky sits on the front the whole race and Cav slots the easy putt in I’m burning my English passport.
VSP PICKS:
1. Cav
2. Greipel
3. Boonen
4. Sagan
5. Goss
VSP PICKS:
1. PhilGil
2. Cavhasgrownupdish
3. Goss
4. Saggin’
5. Tommeke
Are we in 98.6% agreement that we all (98.6% of us anyway) on the site, now have a little soft spot in our hearts for Bananaman / Friggin’ Beaker?
@Dr C
I’m afraid only Mick Rogers can be called Bananaman.
VSP PICKS:
1. Cavendish
2. Sagan
3. Greipel
4. Cancellara
5. Goss
@minion @minion
Sorry Minion. England won’t be at this race. They only compete at the Commonwealth Games.
VSP PICKS:
1. Cav
2. Goss
3. Sagan
4. Greipel
5. Boasson Hagen
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan
2. Cancellara
3. Boonen
4. Gilbert
5. Greipel
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagz
2. Spatacus
3. Blownen
4. Tejay
5. Nibbles
screw cav. no antipathy towards him, just think he’s gonna get spit out the meat grinder. So there.
VSP PICKS:
1. sagan
2. boonen
3. froome
4. goss
5. nibali
VSP PICKS:
1. Cavendish
2. Greipel
3. Sagan
4. Goss
5. Gilbert
so sad that Ryder crashed out of le tour. so here’s to a podium in the Olympics.
VSP PICKS:
1. Cavendish
2. Sagan
3. Ryder eh!
4. TeJay
5. Goss
VSP PICKS:
1. Cavendish
2. Griepel
3. Sagan
4. Boonen
5. Greg Henderson
Very interesting article at Cyclingtips on Australia’s only (male) Olympic medalist on the road. Worth reading – even if you arent biased!
Boonen to smash it, Cav to be the first in the line for sloppy seconds.
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Calves
3. Goss
4. Griepel
5. Saggy
has anyone found a course profile? Im shooting from the hip since I have nothing to lose.
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan
2. Faboo
3. LL Cool Sanchez
4. Boonen
5. Boss Hog
Sagan is the only rider from Slovakia, but he’ll probably manage, however, Cav is one of the only sprinters that made it through the mountains…who knows? What a mess.
VSP PICKS:
1. Cav
2. Sagan
3. Boonen
4. Greipel
5. Goss
@Harminator
Meh. Britain’s not that great.
VSP PICKS:
1. Manx Mouth
2. Andre the Giant
3. Gossy
4. Boom Boom
5. Fabbo
ten B’s picks: now with 20% less spelling errors!
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Calves
3. Goss
4. Greipel
5. Saggy
Just picked the 5 fastest guys I reckon could do it. Too much at stake and too many strong teams to let a break stay away. Gossy gets the jump but fades.
VSP PICKS:
1. Cav
2. Goss
3. Griepel
4. Sagan
5. Boonen
@RedRanger
http://app.strava.com/runs/olympic-road-race-course-467101
Now we get to find out if Cav’s lost kgs and reduced speed (didn’t seem to make any difference on Sunday) can be slotted together with a strong team (80% tour stage winners) to bring home the first Gold. After his performance over the last 3 weeks, I hope he can!
VSP PICKS:
1. Cav
2. Greipel
3. Goss
4. Boonen
5. Faboo
I think Cancelara wants to bring home something shiny for the new baby.
VSP PICKS:
1. Faboo
2. Boonen
3. Sagan
4. Chavanel
5. Albasini
Cav was in the paper the other day where he admitted he had been riding the route regularly over the last few months and has memorized every turn, traffic island etc. When asked after how many laps of Box Hill did he start to feel the lactate and his answer was four……! With 5 more to go he may be buggered after the climbs. Wiggo will have to drag his ass back on to the group for any chance of a sprint finish me thinks…..
We drove several sections of the course yesterday, and yep, narrow roads, lots of road furniture, some nasty hairpin bends.
Watch out for Coombe lane, a steep descent with a wicked hairpin and the road surface is crap.
I think we may be in for a few crashes…….
VSP PICKS:
1. Cavendish
2. Greipel
3. Sagan
4. Goss
5. Boonen
@RedRanger
I know it extremely well – it’s my regular Sunday ride when I’m back in London.
Box Hill is not a hard climb in itself – I can do it maintaining around 17-18km/h and it takes around 7.5 minutes.
There are two tightish corners but also straight sections between. For the pros they would probably stay in the big ring, and it is probably just hard enough that someone who wants to get away can use the bigger gears on the straights and power up. Even a rider like Wiggins or Evans who doesn’t have the explosive power will have no trouble accelerating on the climb.
The difficulty is purely in the repetition. If everyone in the race assumes that the GB team are the ones who have to chase down the breaks, because they have the main interest in a sprint finish, then I can’t see that they have the firepower or the numbers to do it over and over again.
@ChrisO
the course overall in mostly flat. A few ups and downs between London and the hill but nothing that these guys will notice. Box hill is a cat 4 climb of about 125m of ascent with an average gradient of 4-5 percent, although a few steeper sections.
Attacks will comeson each circuit, maybe someone can get away but the peloton will have 40-50km of flat roads back to London to haul in anyone out front to create a bunch sprint…….my amateur assessment of the course anyway.
VSP PICKS:
1. Cavendish
2. Greipel
3. Sagan
4. Goss
5. Boasson Hagen
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan
2. Cavendouche
3. Matty Goose
4. Faboo
5. Andre the Giant
I just love writing Lulu’s name in full.
I think Cav will take the sprint by a mile, Sagan is too busy mopping up criterium money, that maverick.
VSP PICKS:
1. Cavendish
2. Sagan
3. EBH
4. Gerrans
5. Luis Leon Sanchez
I think the final run into London will be fast enough to drop any pure sprinters left after the hill repeats. I’m going with the hard men with thick legs to take this one.
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan
2. Boasson Hagan
3. Boonen
4. Cancellara
5. Gerrans
VSP PICKS:
1. Cavendish
2. Sagan
3. Boonen
4. Henderson
5. Goss
VSP PICKS:
1. cav
2. boonen
3. goss
4. greipel
5. sagan
All wishful thinking. The turn in to the foot of Box Hill is incredibly tight on laps 2-9, and narrow, and on a fast downhill. There are going to be muchos crashes, which – given how short and savage each lap is, and the last 55km back into town is downhill – means anyone caught behind a crash is not going to make it back on… Rank outsiders will win this… Think Eritrea or USA or some other emerging nation. BTW, iconic shot of the OlymPics will be the peloton splitting round the fountain roundabout in Bushey Park on the way out of town just before Hampton Court
VSP PICKS:
1. Cav
2. Sagan
3. Greipel
4. Goss
5. Boonen
@Roadslave525
still can’t believe you didn’t make the team – I reckon you are the only one who could get in a break with Sagan, and still rip his legs off in the run in to the finish – sadly, you will probably be too old come the 2016 games
I take it you will be taking your bike down to the race just in case?
@Dr C You can just picture that but only if William is leaning out of the team car, a la Marc Madiot, screaming “allez, allez, faster, faster you fecking lazy caant!!”
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Sagan
3. Cavendish
4. Sanchez
5. Goss
PIcks
VSP PICKS:
1. Goss
2. Cavendish
3. Sagan
4. Gilbert
5. Cancellara
You have to love the Olympics. Where else can a guy like Omar Hassanin toe up with Tom Boonen? Ever heard of Hassanin? I didn’t think so. I wonder what he’ll be thinking when he sees Boonen, Cavendish, Faboo et al roll up to the start. It’s got to be like that Nigerian swimmer guy. Ahh, the spirit of the Olympics, just happy to be there and represent. Chapeau, Omar.
VSP PICKS:
1. Cavendish
2. Sagan
3. Boonen
4. Edvald
5. Faboo
Hedging my bets. I think the break will escape, but then EBH, Boonen, Faboo, Sagan or Freire would be obvious choices in some order. However in a large minority of races it all comes back together and then there can only be one winner. Mr Todd.
1) Wiggins. 2) Froome. 3) Cancellara 4) Larsson 5) Phinney
Go Cav Go!
VSP PICKS:
1. cavendish
2. sagan
3. goss
4. griepel
5. farrar