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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Nope, Taaramae is in the back as well, just as F. Schleck, Cunego and Menchov.
Cunego has a mechanical, out for GC.
I know some of ya have discussed the biathlon in the past as a cool sport. Just heard on Eurosport that the World Championships are tomorrow, sounded as if they'd be broadcast on Eurosport. Hope those of you interested can tune in!
Wow! No lack of excitement on this stage. hoping that the front bunch stays clear and Tomeke or
Phinney can take te stage!
@Chris
Yep, the comments made about Boonen having to be careful feeding with only one hand on the bar were quite telling.
@Ron
Awesome news! Thanks for the heads-up! I will try to find it.
Boonen, Chavanel, Leipheimer, Maes, Monfort, Wiggins, Thomas, Valverde, Rojas, Gavazzi, Kiserlovski, Westra, Ravard, Van Garderen, Jeannesson, Klier, Vanmarcke, Maaskant, Phinney, Spilak, Vicioso and Degenkolb.
The head of the race. Wiggins, Valverde, Van Garderen, Monfort and Leipheimer are my new favourites...
Spilak dropped, but back now.
Love how the Mavic neutral service car tucks in close in front of Spilak to assist him forward. Not a bad bit of work from his team car either.
Wasn't Tomeke 11th or something yesterday? Man, he looks like he might be in a position to actually place pretty well overall if this break finishes with a 2+ minutes advantage, not to mention Wiggo, Levi, Chavenal (knew i should have picked him) and Valverde.