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.
VSP PICKS:
1. Cavendish
2. Sagan
3. Cancellara
4. EVH
5. Goss
@Marcus
Thank you for Aussie-fying them sir
Here goes nothing
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan
2. Cavendish
3. Greipel
4. Cancellara
5. Gossy
VSP PICKS:
1. Cav
2. Sagan
3. Boonen
4. Goss
5. Hagen
This one’s easy. The course is clearly set up for a sprinter so the top four will of course be the top four sprinters! Sagan will have no support but will still podium but won’t be able to beat more experienced sprinters with devoted teams. Cancellara can’t help but be up there in a similar way to the champs elysee last year and the worlds.
VSP PICKS:
1. Cav
2. Greipel
3. Sagan
4. Goss
5. Cancellara
VSP PICKS:
1. Cav
2. Goss
3. Gorrilla
4. Tourminator
5. Tornado Tom
Safer going for almost random picks. Cancellara and prob Wiggins will be saving something for Wednesday I reckon.
VSP PICKS:
1. LL Cool Sanchez
2. Absinthini
3. Kyrienka
4. Van Avermaet
5. Rui Costa
Boomin Boonen will cover himself in glory – roubaix, flanders and olympic gold
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Cancellara
3. Hesjedal
4. Sagan
5. Cavendish
July 27th already. Where does the time go?
VSP PICKS:
1. Cav
2. Greipel
3. Goss
4. Sagan
5. Freire
cancellara and Eddy to lead the break away….only to get blown off by the speed merchants
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan
2. Greipel
3. Eddy Bos Hog
4. Goss
5. Cancellara
cancellara to lead the break away and then get blown off by the Speed Merchants
VSP PICKS:
1. Peter Sagan
2. Fabian Cancellara
3. Phillipe Gilbert
4. Chris Horner
5. Tyler Farrar
I would love to see a break stick, but the Brits are just too strong, so i think its going down to a bunch sprint
VSP PICKS:
1. Cav
2. Andrei
3. Goss
4. Sagan
5. Gilbert
I’ve got absolutely no idea
VSP PICKS:
1. Peter Sagan
2. Mark Cavendish
3. Christopher Froome
4. Fabian Cancellera
5. Tom Boonen
VSP PICKS:
1. cav
2. greipel
3. goss
4. sagan
5. cancellara
Sprint to finish
VSP PICKS:
1. Cav
2. Sagan
3. Greipel
4. Goss
5. Ferrar
can see a small group take a flyer in the last 10k to get pulled back on the line for the cav win.
VSP PICKS:
1. cav
2. boonan
3. cancellara
4. sagan
5. henderson
Putting my money behind classics type riders with a bent toward sprinting
VSP PICKS:
1. Fabian
2. Boonen
3. Sagan
4. Edvald
5. Duggan
My very unreliable Magic 8 Ball tells me that Sagan wins solo by getting away from the unlikely duo of Gilbert and Sancho as they have to evade The Teletubbies blocking the road on the final Box Hill circuit.Tornado Tom takes the field sprint with Cav in 5th. The Queen then banishes him to the Isle of Mann till the end of time.
VSP PICKS:
1. The Saganator
2. Gilbert Grape
3. LL Cool Sanchez
4. Tornado Tom
5. Cav
VSP PICKS:
1. Cav
2. Greipel
3. Sagan
4. Froome
5. Faboo
Giblets comes good, takes a Classics selection with him. Please no bunch sprint…
VSP PICKS:
1. Giblets
2. Fabs
3. Sags
4. Gerro
5. Tommeke
VSP PICKS:
1. Cav
2. Sagan
3. Griepel
4. Goss
5. EBH
VSP PICKS:
1. sagan
2. gilbert
3. cav
4. greipel
5. goss
VSP PICKS:
1. Cavendish
2. Boonen
3. Phinney
4. Cancellara
5. Boasson Hagen
VSP PICKS:
1. Cav
2. Sagan
3. Farrarrarrarararrar
4. Bosen Hagen
5. Cav
VSP PICKS:
1. Cav
2. Wiggins
3. Sagan
4. Ferrar
5. Bosen Hagen
Will be rooting for a nice rouleur break with the likes of Philbert, Faboo, Chavanel et al to stay away, but just can’t see it happening with 55k to go after box hill. Gotta roll with the odds on this one and that that means Cav, The Kid and the Gorilla get my podium. Can’t wait to watch.
VSP PICKS:
1. Cav
2. Sagan
3. Greipel
4. Gossy
5. EBH
VSP PICKS:
1. Cav’
2. Sagan
3. Greipel
4. Goss
5. Tommeke
I’m betting on Cavendish. Why? Because everytime I think he won’t win, he does win. And when that fat little banker is focused on something, he’s in it to win it.
Prediction: 3 bike lengths.
VSP PICKS:
1. Cavendish
2. Greipel
3. Sagz
4. JJ Rojas
5. Yahueni
Like many I’d like to see a classics style break but GB is so strong I agree they’ll deliver Cav to the line. Sagan is gonna have a rough go of it on his own but he’s young and hungry.
VSP PICKS:
1. Cavendish
2. Sagan
3. Boonen
4. Boasson Hagen
5. Valverde
VSP PICKS:
1. Cavendish
2. Sagan
3. Boonen
4. Greipel
5. Cancellara
VSP PICKS:
1. Mark Cavendish
2. Peter Sagan
3. Philippe Gilbert
4. Fabian Cancellara
5. John Degenkolb
VSP PICKS:
1. cav
2. sagan
3. greipel
4. goss
5. cancellara
VSP PICKS:
1. Cavendish
2. Sagan
3. Cancellara
4. Gilbert
5. EBH
VSP PICKS:
1. Cav
2. Greipel
3. Sagan
4. Boss Hog
5. Boonen
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Cavendish
3. Sagan
4. Goss
5. Boom
Just watched Beaker ring the opening bell for the Olympic ceremony… looks as nervous as he did at the end of tour, poor chap.
VSP PICKS:
1. Cavendish
2. Evans
3. Sagan
4. Boonen
5. Cancellara
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Sagan
3. Sparty
4. Chavanel
5. Phinney
Gonna be a great race.
VSP PICKS:
1. Cav
2. Sagan
3. Greipel
4. Boasson Hagen
5. Farrar
VSP PICKS:
1. Cavendish
2. Griepel
3. Sagan
4. Cancellara
5. Boonen
I just can’t see the GB team fail to pull Cavennowismychancedish back to the front with Box Hill 55 k’s from the line.
VSP PICKS:
1. Manxgina
2. Andre the Giant
3. The Slippery Slovak
4. Tommeke
5. Higgs Boson
I’m reading like a sort of a Flanders style classic and expect it to be really selective, hence Big Tomeke is my favourite. I think people have forgotten about hI’m with the hype around Cav, Sagan and Wiggo’s tour. He won Flanders and Roubaix in style and still packs a mighty sprint. Watch out, you heard it here. ;)
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Cancellara
3. Sagan
4. Chavanel
5. Nibali
RememberRemember 5 man teams means that if a strong classic group goes up the road it will be super tough to bringthem back, doesnt matter who you are…
@Alex
I think that Wiggins, Froome, Millar, Stannard plus other ‘interested parties’ equals it DOES matter who you are when it comes time to drag back a break. Even if this effort leaves them too fucked to lead him out, Cav can still emerge from nowhere to snag gold. I almost typed ‘will’ emerge. However, I’m going to play the homer card and pray that Ryder will rise from the ashes of the Tour, attack with Boonen and Cancellara…hah. No. A massive pileup will split the field prior to the final ascent of Box Hill, and….who the fuck knows. Fuck’em. I like Tommeke.
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Sagan
3. Cavendish
4. Wiggins
5. Cancellara
Great to see Wiggo given the honour of opening the Olympic games……
Just don’t call me Pedro. FFS, Cav is already the world road champion, he can’t have the gold medal too. Sorry. Enough with the sprinters. And enough British success stories, get back in fucking line, god damn it. In the penultimate ride up Box Hill a few excitable riders get away, no one chases hard enough and they stay away. I’d like Fabooo to have been there but no, no one would let him get a gap…wow, this ether and amyl nitrate comes on like a monster…
VSP PICKS:
1. Taylor Phinney
2. Niki Terpstra
3. Simon Gerrans
4. Erik Larsson
5. Sergio Montoya
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Cav
3. Greipel
4. Terpstra
5. Voigt
Too much climbing but Tom is the only sprinter that can pull through
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Terpstra
3. LL Sanchez
4. Chavanel
5. Hesjedal
VSP PICKS:
1. Cavendish
2. Goss
3. Boonen
4. Sagan
5. Cancellara