It’s right around this time of year when the little voice in my head that spurs me on in cold, wet, Rule #9 conditions starts getting overpowered by all my other personalities who at this stage are gathering stones and crowbars and getting ready to enforce their will on him regarding their preference for riding in nice, warm, sunny conditions. I feel bad for the little guy, too, since he helps me a lot in a climate like the Pacific Northwest; but truth be told, my fingers still haven’t regained their feeling from last week’s ride and I admit it would be nice to arrive home after a ride triumphant and warm instead of frozen and soaked like a wet rat.
It appears I’m not the only one ready for some warmer weather, and Paris-Nice traditionally holds a place of honor as “The Race to the Sun” for its timing is such that the race often starts in the French interior with rain (and possibly snow), and arrives on the sunny Cote d’Azur in Nice in balmy conditions.
With that we start our first stage race of the season, along with an opportunity to expose more bugs and logical faults in the VSP software. But never mind that; the same basic rules apply as do with one-day races, expect the stakes are a bit higher with 10 points for first place, 8 for second, 7 for third, 5 for fourth, and 3 for fifth plus two bonus points per rider in the top five regardless of the rider’s placing. Should the race be exciting enough to merit its inclusion, The Keepers may elect to include a bonus round on the VSP for one of the stages along the way. Watch this space for news in that arena.
Check the start list and watch the countdown timer as picks close at 5am Pacific on Sunday; 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. Seeing as this is the first stage race, 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.
Good luck.
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@Netraam
When it comes to technology I readily confess to being the equivalent of a Fat Dentist On A Serotta, but paid VPNs seem to be what works here.
As I understand it, this isn't just a matter of changing IP address. It is also needing to tunnel through the firewall that is used to keep undesirable things out of the country, like Porn, Politics, Gambling and Voice Over IP (see the connection... no ? Maybe if I tell you that the country's monopolistic telecom operator also runs the firewall it might make more sense).
Possibly a simpler and cheaper solution of switching IP would work for KC.
Impressed by Voigt's ride, I'd love to see him win something this year, a stage or the V moment of the year.
@ChrisO
I only know that IP is connected to your physical location through custom, but you can change it without consequence or paying. I only know that because I read an article about it 2 or maybe even 3 years ago.
On topic: Schleck says you shouldn't take this time-trial as a benchmark. Too short for him, and he lacks the power to keep the big gear turning on this kind of track.
Which sounds like you should take him out of your tour spots right now.
@Netraam
Boo Hoo poor Schlecks, sounds like him complaining about the descents in last year's TDF being too steep.
@ChrisO
Thanks for the clarification.
Your VPN talk reminded me of something called a proxy server which is a free version of what you were talking about. At least I can get to geo-restricted feeds using those.
This mornings weather charts:
Storm system over Belgium and Northern France creating plenty of wind and bringing more of the wet stuff today.
The first image isn't cooperating...
The top chart isn't showing anything up. It's clear in London at the moment with the weather coming from the North West. Saturday was spent chasing the kids round trails in the woods wishing I'd gone for shorts rather than jeans whilst on Sunday I was regretting not wearing thermals and something more waterproof than a waxed cotton shooting jacket to the boys rugby game.
It looks like the mixed weather is going to be with us for the next few days at least.
The big question, though, is will it be wet or dry for the first weekend of the Keepers Tour?
@Benj
Really, if I'm going to include a Schleck on my Tour VSP it's going to be Fränk because he complains less, and it will be in 5th position.
@Mikael Liddy
They may well have poor positioning on a TT bike but I suspect the real reason behind their shocking results would be that they can't cope with the separation; for Andy, it's very hard to ride in an aero position whilst constantly looking over his should to see where Frank is and mentally ruinous that big brother isn't just behind him, Frank on the other hand is preoccupied with the thought of his little brother riding into the back of a parked car or into a ditch because he's not looking where he's going. The thought of having to explain to his mum why he wasn't looking after his little brother completely fucks with his V-Locus.