Velominati Super Prestige

Velominati Super Prestige: Paris-Roubaix 2017

I was called a Boonen sycophant today by one of my editors, which didn’t feel as good as it sounds. But the fact is, I am. And the fact is also that I’m not ashamed of being such. It certainly feels cleaner than my Dirty Schlecky love from a few years ago.

Last year’s Boonen heartbreak (I’m talking about mine, not his) was bittersweet because Matty Hayman put in such a great ride to win, not to mention that Boonen was such a great sportsman. But with that near miss in the rear view mirror – the bad luck that many favorites had last week at Flanders, I’m probably more nervous about crashes and mechanicals than the racers are themselves. I’m a bit of a wreck, to be honest.

Last week took its pound of flesh from Vanmarke, who is out, and Sagan, who is battle-damaged. No Cancellara and a lackluster season from Degencobble puts a lot of pressure on my in-form boy Tomeke to make a run at his fifth and record-breaking Roubaix cobble. He rode today’s Scheldeprijs on the front and showing great strength, and then disappeared down the bunch to coast into the finish of his last race in Belgium as a Pro. Merckx, I’ll miss having him to watch.

But as cool as he is, he’ll never be RdV-fixing-his-fucked-up-leggings-on-the-bike Cool. Contemplate the startlist and get your picks in by the time the countdown timer turns into a pumpkin and good luck!

[vsp_results id=”104209″/]

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155 Replies to “Velominati Super Prestige: Paris-Roubaix 2017”

  3. VSP PICKS:

    1. Niki Terpstra
    2. Greg van Avermaet
    3. Tom Boonen
    4. Arnaud Demare
    5. Alexander Kristoff

  5. Heaven in Hell

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Boonen
    2. Sagan
    3. Van Avermaet
    4. Naesen
    5. Degenkolb

  6. VSP PICKS:

    1. Peter Sagan
    2. John Degenkolb
    3. Greg Van Avermaet
    4. Niki Terpstra
    5. Tom Boonen

  7. Premature save before running off. Woops! I’m not surprised no one noticed because no one reads the article!

  8. Just going ahead and manifesting a big win for Boonen and his team rounding out the podium. Go big or go home.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Boonen
    2. Terpstra
    3. Štybar
    4. Sagan
    5. Van Avermaet

  9. VSP PICKS:

    1. Tom Boonen
    2. John Degenkolb
    3. Luke Durbridge
    4. Ian Stannard
    5. Greg van Avermaet

  12. Rock cobbler!

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Sagan
    2. Boonen
    3. Degenkolb
    4. van Avermaet
    5. Terpstra

  13. DNF for GVA. Sagan backs off and lets Tom

    take the win, cos he’s that kind of guy.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Boonen
    2. Sagan
    3. Naesen
    4. Rowe
    5. Senechal

  22. VSP PICKS:

    1. KRISTOFF Alexander
    2. DEGENKOLB John
    3. VAN AVERMAET Greg
    4. STANNARD Ian
    5. TERPSTRA Niki

  29. Not going to be f**king Delgado’ed this time!

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Boonen
    2. Van Avermaet
    3. Sagan
    4. Degenkolb
    5. Boasson Hagen

  30. Like a moment in American Flyers, Boonen hollers to Terpstra that he is breaking the plan and going too early. But it isn’t too early. It is the plan. The favorites, seeing Boonen’s pretend anger and frustration hang back. Tom takes a free ride into the velodrome after Terpstra wins solo.

    Or, perhaps the romantic finish… Boonen rides everyone off his wheel.

    Or, Boonen, Sagan, and GVA enter the velodrome together. The world explodes.

    Or, Johan Vansummeren, (remember him?) comes out of retirement nad riding for Cannondale Drapac pulls out a completely unexp

    ected victory, again.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Old Man Boonen
    2. Ian Stannard
    3. Greg Van Avermaet
    4. Niki Terpstra
    5. Peter Sagan

  31. many Dutch-speaking favourites around here

    VSP PICKS:

    1. van Avermaet
    2. Boonen
    3. Terpstra
    4. van Baarle
    5. Degencolb

  34. VSP PICKS:

    1. VAN AVERMAET Greg
    2. TERPSTRA Niki
    3. BOONEN Tom
    4. SAGAN Peter
    5. DEGENKOLB John

  35. @Erik

    Like a moment in American Flyers, Boonen hollers to Terpstra that he is breaking the plan and going too early. But it isn’t too early. It is the plan. The favorites, seeing Boonen’s pretend anger and frustration hang back. Tom takes a free ride into the velodrome after Terpstra wins solo.

    Or, perhaps the romantic finish… Boonen rides everyone off his wheel.

    Or, Boonen, Sagan, and GVA enter the velodrome together. The world explodes.

    Or, Johan Vansummeren, (remember him?) comes out of retirement nad riding for Cannondale Drapac pulls out a completely unexp

    ected victory, again.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Old Man Boonen
    2. Ian Stannard
    3. Greg Van Avermaet
    4. Niki Terpstra
    5. Peter Sagan

    You know, as much as Tommeke wants to win this, he’s such a team player that if Terpstra did go off the front and win, I think he’d be ok with that. If it did come down to a Tommeke/Sagan/GvA sprint, I hope Tommeke doesn’t balls it up like last year. He coulda, shoulda beaten Heyman but got boxed in.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. boonen
    2. Van Avermaet
    3. Naesen
    4. Terpstra
    5. Degenkolb

  36. VSP PICKS:

    1. BOONEN, Tom
    2. VAN AVERMAET, Greg
    3. DEGENKOLB, John
    4. SAGAN, Peter
    5. ROWE, Luke

  37. I don’t know why I find Julian Devries’s’s’s’s old school tire pressure gauges so damn cool.

  38. VSP PICKS:

    1. Sagan
    2. Van Avermaet
    3. Boonen
    4. Stannard
    5. No Peter, I won’t (Terpstra)

  40. VSP PICKS:

    1. Peter Sagan
    2. Greg van Avermaet
    3. Tom Boonen
    4. John Degenkolb
    5. Ian Stannard

  41. Well I’m done putting Sagan at the top of my list. Which means he will definitely win. Assuming he doesn’t ride into any hanging laundry that is. Plus now he doesn’t have any glasses either so he’ll probably get bugs and mud in his eyes.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Van Avermaet, Greg
    2. Degenkolb, John
    3. Keukeleire, Jens
    4. Sagan, Peter
    5. Hayman, Matthew

  42. VSP PICKS:

    1. BOONEN, Tornado
    2. SAGAN, Peter
    3. Van Avermaet, Greg
    4. DEGENKOLB, John
    5. STYBAR, Zdenek

  43. @Jason Ziegler

    Well I’m done putting Sagan at the top of my list. Which means he will definitely win. Assuming he doesn’t ride into any hanging laundry that is. Plus now he doesn’t have any glasses either so he’ll probably get bugs and mud in his eyes.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Van Avermaet, Greg
    2. Degenkolb, John
    3. Keukeleire, Jens
    4. Sagan, Peter
    5. Hayman, Matthew

    Good point. I’m sure Sagan’s sponsors have told him that he gets no more sunglasses for the rest of the season. “What, another pair, Peter? What happened this time? Oh, you fell off, banged your head on the cobbles and who? Niki Terpstra ran over them and didn’t look back? Well, you’ve had all the glasses for one season young man. We suggest you be more careful in the future. We’re not made of sunglasses you know.” (Illegal emoticon here)

    VSP PICKS:

    1. boonen
    2. Van Avermaet
    3. Naesen
    4. Terpstra
    5. Degenkolb

  45. @wiscot

    “What, another pair, Peter? What happened this time? Oh, you fell off, banged your head on the cobbles and who? Niki Terpstra ran over them and didn’t look back? Well, you’ve had all the glasses for one season young man. We suggest you be more careful in the future. We’re not made of sunglasses you know.”

    Classic!!

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