Velominati Super Prestige

Velominati Super Prestige: Milano San-Remo 2012

Fignon drills it on the Pogio in 1989. Photo: L'Equipe

The Poggio. It’s probably one of the most famous easy climbs in the world; going through old cycling photographs, I rarely come across one where the leaders haven’t moved Sur La Plaque. It has a reputation, however, for being a real leg breaker, mostly because any climb is a big climb once you cross its summit after a paltry 291 kilometers. And the descent provides one of the twistiest, most exhilarating finales in the sport.

This race stands apart as the longest on the calendar, and represents the only of the five Monuments where the sprinters have a chance at final glory. But this can have it all: the long, solo break routinely makes it to the finish uncaught. The final attacks on the Poggio regularly stick. The attack that goes away on the climb often gets caught on the descent. And, sometimes the whole thing stays together for a bunch gallop. Essentially, any ride who is on form has a chance at glory. This is a unique race.

The question on everyone’s mind is wether Cavendish can get over the Poggio in position to make it to the finish in the first group. If he does, then you can jot down the winner right now. He’s lost some significant weight in the last few weeks, so his climbing should be good; we also have it on good authority from our eyes and ears on the roads in Italy that the Manx Mouth has been spotted training in the hills of Italy with the express intention of making it over the last bump. If, on the other hand, he gets spat out the back like a rainbow turd when the road points uphill, it will be a free-for-all. The fast semi-climbers with descending skills like Nibbles are talking big about their chances. And who in their right minds would ever discount Faboo with his brommer or Gilbert once he fires the howitzers.

So rub your lucky rabbit’s foot and throw some salt over your shoulder; you’re going to need some divine intervention on this one. This year’s VSP is also the first year where we’ll be offering a special badge to the winner of the monuments. We can’t unveil the MSR Badge yet, but the winner of this VSP event will have the honor of posting with the badge until next year’s event. The winner will also receive a free Symbol Pack. Check the start list and get your picks in by 5am Pacific on Saturday morning; if timezone arithmetic isn’t your strong suit, just watch the countdown timer in the banner at the top of the site. As usual, your points go towards the overall VSP as well.

Good luck.

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537 Replies to “Velominati Super Prestige: Milano San-Remo 2012”

  1. Ok, I think that teams are going to work hard to make a selection over the Poggio, or even earlier.
    Cavendish wins the bunch gallop.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Boonen
    2. Cancellara
    3. Hushovd
    4. Sagan
    5. Cavendish

  2. VSP PICKS:

    1. Cancellara
    2. Cavendish
    3. Boonen
    4. Freire
    5. Farrar

  4. I can’t fucking wait!

    I also can’t wait for Pedale.Forchetta’s awesome photos! Bring ’em on!!

    I felt off all day today. Why? Oh, first day without Paris-Nice or Tirreno-Adriatico or the Strade Bianchi in over a week.

    Bring on the MSR!!!

  5. And holy cannoli, who to pick?! Boonen, Cavendish, Cancellara, Thor, Fast Phil, Eddie V., Haussler, T-Bone. So many strong candidates. (though Thor, Phil & Tyler all seem at least 2 months from peaking right now.)

  9. @Vin’cenza

    The Professor showing perfect flying V form across the line (photo)

    Most fucking awesome! Le Professuer is my greatest inspiration. Because, “that means that there are birds to be had!”

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Cancellara
    2. Boonen
    3. PhilGil
    4. Sagen
    5. Thor

  10. @Pedale.Forchetta

    I’ll follow the race on my car and I’ll send you some photos and news via e.mail.
    I hope we are going to see an exciting race.
    I rode the MSR Amateur 3 times, the first it took me 10 hours to finish, the second time was much better and the third for some reasons I prefer not to explain I was in a solo breakaway along the riviera shores!

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Nibali
    2. Ballan
    3. Cancellara
    4. Cunego
    5. Pozzato

    ?? You rode it 3 times? With one water bottle? I hope you are coming to Belgium because you have a lot of stories I need to hear. I’m speechless, I couldn’t do that distance with a gun to my head and a rocket in my pocket. Chapeau.

    And you are back in the team car with camera again, fantastic. The world is spinning properly.

  14. VSP PICKS:

    1. Spartacus
    2. Boonen
    3. Phil Gil
    4. Nibbles
    5. God of Thunder

  19. This has to be the most difficult race of the season to predict

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Manx Missile
    2. Sagan
    3. Gossy
    4. Haussler
    5. Spartacus

  23. VSP PICKS:

    1. Cavendish, Mark
    2. Boonen, Tom
    3. Cancellara, Fabian
    4. Hushovd, Thor
    5. Sagan, Peter

  26. This has got to be one of the toughest races of the year to pick. I’m banking on it being a year for the sprinters and Cav making it over the Poggio!

  29. VSP PICKS:

    1. Hushovd
    2. Boasson Hagen
    3. Cavendish
    4. Pettachi
    5. Greipel

  34. FUUUUUUUUUU this is getting impossible to pick. People refer to the late 90s as the golden era, how about right now!
    What a promising sign for our future that any of 30 folks would be a deserving winner.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Cav
    2. Sagan
    3. Haussler
    4. Cancellara
    5. Van Avermaet

  36. Can Sky get Cav over the Poggio and down the other side near enough the front?

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Sagan
    2. Gilbert
    3. Cancellara
    4. Hushovd
    5. Niballi

  37. .

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Mr Todd
    2. Mr Gorilla
    3. Mr boonen
    4. Mr kittel
    5. I am spartacus

  38. So many good names had to be left off the list, Ballan, Pozzato, Haussler, Petacchi, Nabali, Viviani, Greipel, Rojas, Boonen, Degenkolb, Boassen Hogen all made the “short list”.

    Of course changes to come over the next day or two.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Sagan
    2. Cancellara
    3. Freire
    4. Oscar Gatto
    5. Cavendish

  39. @Chris
    sadly I fear not – smart thing to do is send Gerry up the road in a break and let Sky sit back – if they don’t, they’ll have to pull all the way and will be a busted flush by the poggio

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Spartacus
    2. Gerry Thomas
    3. Nibbles
    4. Johnny Hoo
    5. Sagan

  40. I really can’t see Cav hiding out of the wind for 300kms. His team is going to get 7 tons of shit and the kitchen sink thrown at it, and if there’s a selection and Cav’s in it, you can bet everyone in it is going to sit up. While he’s good, he’s not up to the swinging dick status of Boonen, Thor and Freire, and his team would have to get him to the line against the odds.
    It is entirely possible I’ll be completely wrong and he’ll go off form the start line and stay away. In that case, fuck him the little git for proving me wrong and next time I see him I’ll put him in the ditch. (I hope I never see him unless he’s about to fall in a ditch)

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Boonen
    2. Thor
    3. Fabian
    4. Freire
    5. Bretto

  43. Cavendish has proven to be able to win this before, and we all remember the World Championships. Only an individual as motivated and strong as Cancellara or someone as cunning as Freire is able to take a victory from him, imo.

  44. A bogger it, can’t leave Tomeke out, such has been his form, hope to pick up a random point there – I’d love to see Nibbles absolutely horsing it down the back of the Poggio, mano a mano with Faboo – now that would be exciting!

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Spartacus
    2. Gerry Thomas
    3. Nibbles
    4. Johnny Hoo
    5. Boonen

  45. @Netraam
    I’d love Cav to win but he’s got to be a bit of a marked man and no matter how well Sky protect him, they can’t make him go any faster up a hill if a pair like Sagan and Niballi try to take off on the climb. Team GB’s WC tactics of dragging Cav back to the front after letting him slide on the hill won’t work here, there isn’t enough room at the end.

    Then again it has been reported that Cav has been working on his climbing.

  46. @nico

    Cav just got herpes.

    Jeepers, I was looking at him thinking “what are you on about”, then I noticed that festering chancre on the girl on the right – I hope it’s only herpes

  49. Goss is ready

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Goss
    2. Hushovd
    3. Boonen
    4. Cancellara
    5. Haussler

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