Velominati Super Prestige: Men’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
The 2012 Velominati Super Prestige kicks off in proper form this season with the debut of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad as part of the series. I’m tempted to stubbornly refer to this race as Het Volk, but I’ll toe the line and refer to the race by its bewildering new(ish) name.
This is a tricky race to predict because the big races in April are a funny distance away; they are close enough that riders wanting to do well there should be in good enough form to be competitive now, but far enough off that a win here could indicate a rider hitting their peak too soon.
In fact, the latter seems to be the case: riders who show brilliance here rarely shine in April when the Monuments of Vlaanderen and Roubaix are contested. De Vlaeminck, Museeuw, Van Petegem, Vandenbroucke – all champions of the Cobbled Classics and all men who never succeeded to win Het Volk/Het Nieuwsblad in the same year as either of the big cobbled classics; in fact, a cursory study of past results lists reveals only Merckx and Ballerini as being able to pull this particular double.
This timing makes Het Nieuwsblad a particularly difficult race to predict; in addition to the wily nature of any cobbled classic, the big names may not quite have the eye of the tiger while riders with an outside chance at victory in April may be focusing their early season on glory in this minor classic which covers many of the sacred roads as de Ronde.
With that we kick off the first event of the 2012 VSP; up for grabs is the personalized Velominati Shop Apron to the contestent who wins the season-long competition. Check the Main VSP page for scoring guidelines and rules. As a sidebar, we’ve also made lots of changes to the VSP engine; despite my usual nonchalant approach to production-testing, I’ve actually done my best to test the system this time around. There are, however, too many scenarios to be sure I covered them all, so I strongly encourage you to enter your picks early, knowing that you can make changes all the way up until the VSP closes. If you notice something behaving strangely, please let us know and we’ll have time to resolve the issue or let you know precisely why you’re crazy.
Picks close at 5am Pacific time on Saturday, and since last year’s VSP taught us that our readership sucks at time zone calculations (I’m looking at you, Bretto), we’ve introduced a countdown clock which should make even the most bone-headed of contestants aware of how much time they’ve got left to enter their losing picks (now I’m looking at you, Ron).
Good luck, and stand by for the VVomen’s Het Nieuwsblad VSP, scheduled to go live tomorrow.
startlist omloop het Nieuwsblad 2012. Boasson-Haagen seems to be ill (according to sporza.be).
VSP PICKS:
1. Boom
2. Leukemans
3. Chavanel
4. Hoste
5. Saramotins
Ok, gonna join the party on this one … Beginners luck !!!
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Hushovd
3. Flecha
4. Langeveld
5. Millar
VSP PICKS:
1. Navardauskas
2. Boassen Hagen
3. Van Summeren
4. Neyens
5. Vaitkus
People left and right are still choosing Boasson Hagen. Come on people, he isn’t even riding!
@Netraam
Duuuude…they know he isn’t riding. It’s like a statement bro!! Boasson Hagen is so bad ass he can win when he isn’t even riding…whoa! Like Seriously…
VSP PICKS:
1. Tornado Tom
2. Greg Van Avermaet
3. Flecha
4. Leukemans
5. jens keukeleire
I didn’t think that Langeveld was racing. Is he?
Another first timer here, how hard can this be?
VSP PICKS:
1. Sylvain Chavanel
2. Thor Hushovd
3. Tom Boonen
4. Stijn Devolder
5. Flecha
@WillB
Another brave soul picks Chavanel… well done.
@Anjin-san
He’s listed on CyclingFever startlist – but then so was Offredo last night and now he’s not.
@ChrisO
Thank you- that may impact my selections…
@Nate
I read that as “while shitting some genuine Flandrian cobblestones.”
VSP PICKS:
1. Flecha
2. Hushovd
3. Van Summeren
4. Phinney
5. Millar
Change #1 due to Langeveld’s Crash………
VSP PICKS:
1. Lars Boom-Boom
2. She’s legal in Amsterdam
3. Tommy DeGendt
4. Phil Gilabert
5. God of Thunder
Placeholders of sorts till I make up my mind.
VSP PICKS:
1. Flecha
2. Greg van a
3. Boonen
4. John dkolb
5. Boom
VSP PICKS:
1. Tom Boonan
2. The thunder god
3. Flecha
4. Lars Boom
5. Johan Vansummeran
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Flecha
3. Marcus Burghardt
4. Van Summeren
5. Gilbert
VSP PICKS:
1. Van Summeren
2. Boonen
3. Gilbert
4. Avery
5. Hushovd
Ok here we go my first chance at the super prestige – be gentle
VSP PICKS:
1. E Boasson Hagen
2. T Phinney
3. T Boonen
4. P Gilbert
5. G Steegmans
@San Tonio
Dude, hard to be gentle when your top pick is not even racing! Try again. (Don’t worry, it happened to me before as well. Like at the start of a race when you cannot get clipped in–soooo embarrassing!)
@San Tonio
Also, with a name like San Tonio, do you live in San Antonio? That’s where I am currently.
VSP PICKS:
1. BOONEN Tom
2. BOOM Lars
3. LANGEVELD Sebastian
4. HAUSSLER Heinrich
5. HUSHOVD Thor
Nice photos by Kristof Ramon from the last day or two of Team Lotto’s course recon for Omloop (link courtesy of Cycling Tips). Especially like the Haaghoek photo here.
Damit EBH – this is no time to get a cold
VSP PICKS:
1. Bak Lars
2. Pozzato
3. Boonen
4. Flecha
5. Nuyens
Switching things up
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Flecha
3. Gilbert
4. Van Avermaet
5. Hushovd
VSP PICKS:
1. Bernie Eisel
2. David Millar
3. Lars Bak
4. Gerald Ciolek
5. Lars Boom
interesting picks
VSP PICKS:
1. Hossler
2. Van Avermaet
3. Lars Boom Boom
4. Boonen
5. Flecha i betya
@Marcus
Mate, I knew you’d get a kick out of seeing my splendid shop apron!
Let’s to that again:
My mediations are complete, here are my picks. The big guns will keep the powder dry.
VSP PICKS:
1. Jan Anton vander Pijl
2. Leukemans
3. Paolini
4. Vanmarcke
5. Quasimodo
OK, here we go… can’t wait to see how this race shakes folks out and we can start to see what will be shaping up for the classics…
VSP PICKS:
1. ka-BOOM
2. Boonen
3. Flecha
4. Gilbert Grape
5. Thor
Le BMC Team Omloop training
@JC Belgium
Gilbert Gottfried looks horrid in those all-red tights! Reminds me of a USSR speed skater from the 80’s. He does look at home in his element, otherwise.
@Tartan1749
I was thinking the red tights looked awful, too.
@Buck Rogers
Classic rookie mistake. I have til tomorrow to change my pick? I might have to go back and reread the vsp rules.
and yeah I live and ride in SA.
VSP PICKS:
1. Boasson Hagen
2. T Phinney
3. T Boonen
4. P Gilbert
5. G Steegmans
@frank
How long should I wait to see if my picks map before providing more info/revising?
VSP PICKS:
1. Greg van Avago
2. Fletcher
3. Tomeke
4. @Chris
5. Fast Phil
VSP PICKS:
1. Greg van Avago
2. Fletcher
3. Tomeke
4. Bars Loom
5. Fast Phil
Sky nick it from the flahutes
VSP PICKS:
1. Stannard
2. Nuyens
3. Flecha
4. Boonen
5. Langeveld
VSP PICKS:
1. Tom Tom (Boonen)
2. The Argentine Arrow (Flecha)
3. G-Bear (P Gilbert)
4. Tommy 5 (Voeckler)
5. God of Thunder (Thor)
Realized my calling Boonen Boom Boom might cause confusion.
VSP PICKS:
1. BOOM Lars
2. BOONEN Tom
3. GILBERT Phillippe
4. HUSHOVD Thor
5. FLECHA Juan Antonio
VSP PICKS:
1. Phil Gilbert!
2. Peter Sagan
3. Lars Boom
4. Boonen
5. Flecha
Out: Boasson Hagen
In: Van Summeren
VSP PICKS:
1. Boasson Hagen
2. Gilbert
3. Flecha
4. Clarke (Will)
5. Boonen
@Markp
That looks a lot like out : Boassan Hagan
in: Boassan Hagan
I’m pretty sure if we all keep picking the Boss we can will him to win, riding or no.
Upedated Choices.
VSP PICKS:
1. Juan Antonio Flecha
2. Greg van Avermaet
3. Tom Boonen
4. John Degenkolb
5. Peter Sagan
Vsp picks
VSP PICKS:
1. Juan Antonio Flecha
2. Tom Boonen
3. Thor Hushovd
4. Philippe Gilbert
5. Lars Boom
VSP PICKS:
1. Van Summeren
2. Boonen
3. Hoogerland
4. Avery
5. Hushovd
Ugh! Reading old info…. !
VSP PICKS:
1. Van Summeren
2. Boonen
3. Gilbert
4. Avery
5. Hushovd
@Adrian
Is that really you? If so, welcome back my boy!
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Flecha
3. Gilbert
4. Haussler
5. Hushovd
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Boom
3. Boonen
4. Flecha
5. Double H