Velominati Super Prestige: Paris-Nice 2012
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.
VSP PICKS:
1. Leipheimer
2. Martin
3. Voeckler
4. TJ Van Garderen
5. Wiggins
I’m starting to think my picks are way off the wall. May have to rethink em.
VSP PICKS:
1. Bradley Wiggins
2. Tony Martin
3. Alejandro Valverde
4. Thomas Voeckler
5. Frank Schleck
VSP PICKS:
1. Wiggins
2. Valverde
3. Cunego
4. Voeckler
5. Menchov
VSP PICKS:
1. Wiggens
2. Martins
3. Porte
4. F Schleck
5. Gerrans
I should pick someone from Greenedge as they must be fit and need some results but I don’t know who would win from that group.
Frank-great Kelly photo in the White Jersey. Damn, he is good looking when he is putting down the V, no horrible plastic salad bowl of a helmet on head. What a stud, confidently winning another Paris-Nice. Is Tony Martin like Sean Kelly? No. Still, he is tough and can time trial and has incentive to defend.
VSP PICKS:
1. Tony Martin
2. Tejay van Garderen
3. Valverde
4. wiggo
5. voeckler
Hopefully I wil fare better this time out…
VSP PICKS:
1. Frank Schleck
2. Basso
3. Leipheimer
4. Martin
5. Menchov
Who knows??
VSP PICKS:
1. brajkovic
2. martin
3. tejay
4. valverde
5. kolden
@cchern
I think jani is a great outside pick. Really have debated about putting him in my top five.
VSP PICKS:
1. Wiggens
2. Valverde
3. Leipheimer
4. Frank Schleck
5. Gerrans
After a stellar 12th place finish in my first entry, I am picking Jens for the win, based on exhaustive research consisting of glancing at the start list whilst enjoying a one that is cold.
VSP PICKS:
1. JENS!
2. Valverde
3. God of Thunder
4. Boonen
5. Wiggo
Ba-boosh! Grimpelder takes out a win in the ASO colors and gets the family familiar with the feeling (we don’t count the 2011 Tour, do we? No, of course not…)
Piti gets beat into second, Eggtimer cracks when he’s in the lead, Klodi proves he’s o’er yonder hill, and Gerrans proves he’s still a dick.
VSP PICKS:
1. Grimpelder
2. Valverde
3. Levi Eggtimer
4. Klodi
5. Gerrans
Really suits a strong attacking rider but I’m not sure who has the balls for it – would put Voeckler at the top but I suspect the TTs will be his downfall.
VSP PICKS:
1. Valverde
2. Voeckler
3. Haussler
4. Leipheimer
5. Porte
Final Pics
VSP PICKS:
1. Leipheimer
2. Taaramae
3. Valverde
4. Wiggins
5. Van Garderen
Meh I lied, and I’ll probably change it again.
VSP PICKS:
1. Wiggins
2. Valverde
3. Taaramae
4. Leipheimer
5. Van Garderen
VSP PICKS:
1. Frank Schleck
2. Leipheimer
3. Tommy V
4. Valverde
5. Wiggy Wiggy
Make the little voices stop.
VSP PICKS:
1. Wiggz
2. Levi
3. Taaramae
4. Valverde
5. Kloden
VSP PICKS:
1. Cunego
2. T. Martin
3. Wiggins
4. L.L. Sanchez
5. Anton
VSP PICKS:
1. Richie Porte
2. Alejandro Valverde
3. Wiggins
4. Simon Gerrans
5. Tony Martin
VSP PICKS:
1. Richie Porte
2. Alejandro Valverde
3. Sylvain Chavanel
4. Simon Gerrans
5. Tony Martin
VSP PICKS:
1. Wiggo
2. Eggtimer
3. Grimpelder
4. Valverde
5. Martin
VSP PICKS:
1. Twiggo
2. Eggtimer
3. Grimpelder
4. Valverde
5. Martin
VSP PICKS:
1. Tony Martin
2. Rein Taaramae
3. Nicolas Roche
4. Damiano Cunego
5. Marcel Kittel
@frank
I thought there was a time trial in this race?
VSP PICKS:
1. Richie Porte
2. Tony Martin
3. Andréas Kloden
4. Simon Gerrans
5. Ivan Basso
VSP PICKS:
1. Frank Schleck
2. Tony Martin
3. Philippe Gilbert
4. Jens Voigt
5. Leipheimer
VSP PICKS:
1. Wiggins
2. Valverde
3. Tony Martin
4. van Garderen
5. Egg Timer
VSP PICKS:
1. Valverde
2. Leipheimer
3. Andy
4. Jens
5. Gilbert
@Tartan1749
Good gawd: frank in #3, not andy
VSP PICKS:
1. Valverde
2. Wiggins
3. Martin
4. Leipheimer
5. Porte
VSP PICKS:
1. Martin
2. Wiggo
3. Leipheimer
4. F. Schleck
5. Lieuwe Westra
VSP PICKS:
1. Wiggins
2. Martin
3. Chavanel
4. Gerrans
5. Porte
VSP PICKS:
1. Wiggo
2. Basso
3. Cunego
4. Voeckler
5. Kittel
VSP PICKS:
1. valverde
2. porte
3. ll sanchez
4. anton
5. martin
VSP PICKS:
1. martin
2. wiggins
3. leipheimer
4. van Garderen
5. talansky
VSP PICKS:
1. Valverde
2. Wiggo
3. Rat Pack
4. Simon Gerrans
5. Chavanel
VSP PICKS:
1. Kloden
2. Mollema
3. Brajkovic
4. T. Martin
5. Cunego
VSP PICKS:
1. Voeckler
2. Wiggins
3. Porte
4. Kloden
5. Frank Schleck
VSP PICKS:
1. twiggins
2. tony panzerwagon
3. gerro
4. rip it up richie
5. eggman
VSP PICKS:
1. Wiggo
2. Leipheimer
3. Van Garderen
4. Porte
5. Kloden
VSP PICKS:
1. chief wiggum
2. tony martin
3. franky s
4. tommy v
5. basso
VSP PICKS:
1. Valverde
2. Panzerwagen
3. Dirty Sanchez
4. Fronk
5. Rein Taaramae
VSP PICKS:
1. Wiggins
2. Martin
3. Frank Schleck
4. Leipheimer
5. Cunego
VSP PICKS:
1. Cam Meyer
2. Twiggo
3. Tony Martini
4. Swivelneck Senior
5. J-Roy
VSP PICKS:
1. Bradley Wiggins
2. Tony Martin
3. Thomas Voeckler
4. Janez Brajkovic
5. Richie Porte
VSP PICKS:
1. Tony Martin
2. van Garderen
3. Valverde
4. TWiggins
5. Egg Timer
Haw haw, Tony Martin looking for a 58 ring for the opening TT. Anyone else watching live?
Yep, was just trying to figure out what cluster Tyler Phinney was running in back.
@Bill
Couldn’t tell from the chopper shots!
Ha! The Sport-livez feed spent a lot of time zoomed in on his cassette. I couldn’t understand what they were talking about. Switched to the heli-view, then zoomed back into his cassette. Must have been something interesting there.
Perhaps he was running a 13-27, based on that finish.