Velominati Super Prestige: Men’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

Tarmac in bad state - Isn't that why we're here?

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.

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464 Replies to “Velominati Super Prestige: Men’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad”

  1. Tough one to pic. Here’s a link to the start list, my god BMC have a good team. All eight of their guys could captain a team comfortably. Too many cooks going to spoil the broth?

    cyclingnews Omloop Het Volk Nieuwsblad

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Haussler
    2. Leif Hoste
    3. Gilbert
    4. Boom
    5. Langeveld

  2. Can we watch this in the US?

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Burghart, Marcus
    2. Van summeren
    3. Tomke
    4. Matti breached
    5. Alex dowsett

  3. VSP PICKS:

    1. Sylvain Chavanel
    2. Sebstiaan Langeveld
    3. Phillipe Gilbert
    4. Juan Antonio Flecha
    5. Johann Van Summeren

  4. Let’s see how it goes.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Boonen
    2. Gilbert
    3. Flecha
    4. Boom
    5. Hushovd

  5. Early season hit out. I hope to improve my accuracy as the season progresses.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. One Bjorn every minute Leukemans
    2. Spanish Arrow
    3. Bar-Bar-Ballan
    4. Natty Matty B
    5. Clinton Kiwi Avery

  6. How ya like them odds?

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Quinziato
    2. Paolini
    3. Leukmans
    4. Hushovd
    5. Langveld

  7. VSP PICKS:

    1. Thomas De Gendt
    2. Boonen
    3. Lars Boom
    4. J.A. Flecha
    5. Vlad Gusev

  8. VSP PICKS:

    1. Boonen
    2. P. Gilbert
    3. Van Summeren
    4. Hushovd
    5. Boom

  9. Roll of the dice..

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Boonen
    2. Cooke
    3. Haussler
    4. Van avermat
    5. Flecha

  10. VSP PICKS:

    1. Flecha
    2. Greg van Avermaet
    3. Langeveld
    4. Leif Hoste
    5. Lars Boom

  11. Last minute changes, getting excited for the race, will sadly have to check in periodically at work.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Juan Antonio Flecha
    2. Greg van Avermaet
    3. Tom Boonen
    4. John Degenkolb
    5. Heinrich Haussler

  12. VSP PICKS:

    1. Tornado Tomeke Boom Boom Boonen
    2. Baden Cooke
    3. Gregory Van Avermaet
    4. De Gendt
    5. Gilbert Phillipe

  13. Race day! I’m getting excited. I’ve only ever followed pro races in a dispassionate sort of way up till now. Off for a wee ride then we’ve got the last 3 hours on RAI Sport. Good luck folks. Forza Boonen!!

  14. VSP PICKS:

    1. Boonen
    2. Greg Van Avermaet
    3. Flecha
    4. Ian Stannard
    5. Nick Nuyens

  15. don’t like putting two riders from the same team in always but i recon that might happen

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Boonen
    2. Greg Van Avermaet
    3. Ian Stannard
    4. Flecha
    5. Nick Nuyens

  16. Great to be back bunt picking this race is harder than picking San Sebastian! Too many teams with favorites sitting in, waiting for San Remo or Flanders/Roubaix. Look for top lieutenants and older but not quite so greats to be up the front. Can’t wait.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Flecha
    2. Cooke
    3. Hayman
    4. Navardauskas
    5. Burghardt

  17. @Sam
    But the way Sky rides you almost always need to have two of them in these days. Flecha and Hayman are on form.

  18. Lots of people picking big favorites…I’m either on an inside track or totally out of the money.

  19. Last moment sub for my man from HK

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Phast Phil
    2. David Millar
    3. Johan “The Lips” van Summeren
    4. Greg Van Avermaet
    5. Big Stanny

  20. Because I can…

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Thor Hushovd
    2. Baden Cooke
    3. Tom Boonen
    4. G Ciolek
    5. John Degenkolb

  21. Nipple Lube. Heh heh heh heh.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Taylor Phinney
    2. Thomas De Gendt
    3. Phil Gilbert
    4. Boonen
    5. Fletcha

  22. @G’phant
    It’s good to be back. Now where are my guns and liquor? Been locked in the cabinet for far too long.

  23. There goes Leukemans. Looked like he hurt his hand or arm. Still in, but behind.

  24. For those wondering about the name change of the race, Wikipedia has this tidbit:

    “The race was known as Omloop Het Volk until 2008. The newspaper Het Volk stopped publishing in 2008 and was taken over by Het Nieuwsblad, as a result of which the race was renamed to Omloop Het Nieuwsblad for the 64th edition in 2009.”

  25. They look eager. I’m actually following it on a livestream in a mall right now, because I can’t be home atm.

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