Velominati Super Prestige: Men’s World Championship Road Race 2016

Reaching down in the drops for the last drop of the V

Three riders stand out in this photo: Sagan, Van Avarcan’t*, and Deggencobble in the drops, crushing it up the stupid-steep cobbled final climb at the 2015 Worlds in Richmond, Virginia. I’ve never thought much of Virginia, if at all, and I certainly never thought of Virginia’s many cobbled climbs. Goes to show that not everything below the Mason-Dixon Line is rubbish.

The photo says it all: only 66% of the riders climbing in the drops lost the World Championships, while 100% of the riders climbing on the hoods lost them. The science is conclusive: something about climbing in the drops gives you extra Awesome Speed.

From a traditional standpoint, I can’t say the US is the best place to host World Cycling Events. That said, the old Coors Classic was badass as shit, and both the CX and Road World Championships hosted here were easily the best in recent times in both disciplines. Merca: crushing it. So long as we don’t include “winning” within the concept of “crushing it”. But as far as hosting a great race? Nailed it.

Even less traditional is the Qatar Worlds location. As Gianni said, flat and cross winds. Very Dutchish or Flemishish, on the surface of it. Have you ever been in a sauna and had someone blow on you because they are an asshole? If you have, you will realize that in that sort of heat, adding wind makes the wet parts of your skin burn, not cool. In other words, cross winds in the desert is like racing in Belgium while Beelzebub chases you about with a flamethrower.

At least doffing leg warmers and extra jerseys won’t slow anyone down.

Get your picks in by the time the countdown clock goes to nil, and good luck. Oh, and study the start list, as if it helps. Remember: a Don Walker frame is on offer for the winner of the VSP! A custom steel frame!

*Except he Van Avercould at the Olympics. Quite the time to pull out the “No More Second Places” card.

[vsp_results id=”75561″/]

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

Next Winter »

Previous « Velominati Super Prestige: VVomen's World Road Race 2016

View Comments

jason hamlin says:

Oct 13 2016 at 12:42 pm
VSP PICKS:
1. Cav
2. Greipel
3. Ewan
4. Viviani
5. Demare
Cary says:

Oct 13 2016 at 1:16 pm
i feel like, no matter the course length, it's going to come down to raw speed and nothing else.

VSP PICKS:
1. gaviria
2. bouhanni
3. cavendish
4. greipel
5. matthews
Byron says:

Oct 13 2016 at 1:32 pm
VSP PICKS:
1. Peter Sagan
2. Mark Cavendish
3. Andre Greipel
4. Marcel Kittel
5. Fernando Gaviria
JH says:

Oct 13 2016 at 1:36 pm
VSP PICKS:
1. Cav
2. Greipel
3. Sagan
4. Viviani
5. Demare
JH says:

Oct 13 2016 at 1:37 pm

I'd love to see Sagan double but I don't see it happening
Al__S says:

Oct 13 2016 at 1:46 pm
Lets be honest it's a bit of a dice roll. Is it still shortened to 106km? The forecast is for no wind.

At least in the Road Race there won't be camelbaks under skinsuits, though I totally understand why they were doing that (and ice packs) for the TT

VSP PICKS:
1. Cav
2. Bouhanni
3. Gaviria
4. Griepel
5. Matthews
Ccos says:

Oct 13 2016 at 1:46 pm
"Goes to show that not everything below the Mason-Dixon Line is rubbish."

Ah regionalism, well now that I've come to live in New England for the past 21 years, I've come to realize that not everyone here are fast talking, impolite, assholes as was the thinking in my beloved South. However those which are, are quite similar in character to the slow talking, polite assholes that I grew up with.

But I digress, I too am putting in the folks I want to win.

VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Sagan
3. Cavendish
4. Bouhanni
5. Greipel
Nicholas says:

Oct 13 2016 at 2:33 pm
VSP PICKS:
1. Kristoff
2. Cavendish
3. Bouhanni
4. Greipel
5. Sagan
BacklashJack says:

Oct 13 2016 at 2:41 pm

@MangoDave

@BacklashJack

We’ve been training in heat and winds like this all summer in Phoenix. It sucks. Like Qatar but with actual cycling fans.

Yeah, it’s always rough to train here in the summer. Then to rub (dried sweat) salt into the wounds, the guys and gals living just to the north shell me out the back this time of year because they’ve had a whole summer of beautiful weather and altitude training.

I'm going to start using that excuse as well. :)
Philonius says:

Oct 13 2016 at 3:20 pm
Since I am completely out of the running for VSP, I can play this game however I want. My pick; anyone but Bouhanni. He's insufferable enough already.

Sagan pulling a Bugno would be cool....

VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan