Velominati Super Prestige: Paris-Roubaix
Let us pray for rain.
The Sunday after Ronde Van Vlaanderen brings us to Paris-Roubaix. The Holiest of Holies. There are no bergs to ride over, instead, accelerate to maximum speed to be in the top 20 to start each cobbled section, bring power up to flank to float over broken treacherous farm path crown, gutter or ditch or all three at the same time as required. Recover once back on the tarmac. Repeat 26 more times.
This Sunday’s edition of Paris-Roubaix will have Velominati moaning, staring through half empty bottles of Chimay, burning candles to Saint Ludo of Dierckxsens (the patron saint of Flemish V), begging for a sign. The winner won’t be a first timer to this race, he needs experience on these stones, he will also require equally experienced teammates who can hang tough close to Roubaix. He must be massively fit. He must be tough as nails. Andy Schleck will not be out here on Sunday, not because he is not tough (OK, he is not tough enough for this) but racing on such terrible cobbled farm tracks is a skill only a certain subset of professionals develop. All around tough bastard Bernard Hinault, aka The Badger, thought it was an insane lottery, unworthy of his attention but he did ride it twice and won in 1981. In 2011 you could do worse than roll up to the start on your 1980 steel Merckx ride as today’s bikes, used just for this one race, have a lot of old-school about them: 27mm profile tires, huge inner chain rings, 3-cross laced wheels, longer rake front forks, longer chainstays. These bikes go back into storage when this race is over. Insane bikes, riders, fans and of course, throw in some bad weather and we have a real race.
Finally Fabian Cancellara has shown himself to be human, a really strong human. Tomeke Boonen is showing signs of past greatness. Garmin-Cervelo has been hammered from all quarters, they are under pressure and Thor has always said this is the race he wants to win. Gilbert is fit, ready and Belgian (news flash, he may be ready but not to race P-R, coward). Chavanel is fit, ready and French. Could Ballan be the new Moser? No. Not ever. Team Sky, with nary a Belgian still has a shot with a Spaniard, an Englishman and a Welshman.
The spinning wheels of Fortuna could play havoc on the best laid bets like it did in 2001. Dutchmen Servais Knaven won it all. Knaven, with teammate Johan Museeuw was part of a select group closing in on Roubaix. Being the dutiful domestique he attacked to force Museeuw’s adversaries to chase but no one could. He was a tough guy and rode away with a beautiful victory.
Let us pray for rain.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3whyot73JRA[/youtube]
You bloody beauty! I love this day.
Fabs to break them five sectors out, Van Summeren to turn himself inside out in attempting to bring Thor back in touch, but failing, also dragging Tomeke and Gilbert with him.
Can’t wait!
VSP PICKS:
1. Fabs
2. Thor
3. Boonen
4. GIlbert
5. Van Summeren
Tommeke to not make the same mistake twice (well, four times) – sticks like a limpet to Faboo (the self-styled Gladiator) and does him like a dinner in the ‘drome, but they both stay clear of a hard-charging Flecha who 20 sec later drives over the top of Gilbert in the sprint for third (the two of them having been towed into the ‘drome by a tiring Thomas).
VSP PICKS:
1. Tom Tom Bone ’em
2. Russell Crowe
3. The Spanish Arrow
4. Philly Gilly
5. The Welsh WonderBoy
I’m hoping for ninjas and pirates too.
VSP PICKS:
1. Faboo
2. Ballan
3. Flecha
4. Chavanel
5. Thor
I like it, Hawkeye first on the board, stacking his picks to keep his lofty perch in the VSP. Last year I put Van Summeren in to place in all the Spring Classics and got my ass handed to me repeatedly. And yet, I will have to do it again.
Again more who I wanna see smashing it out in the final selection, though I still reckon Spartacus is gonna have lead in the legs after the racing so far. As always as expecting someone I’ve no idea about to make it stick, but a black horse might be ‘ullrich in the off season’ Caven – puttheforkdown – dish.
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Thor
3. This is Spartacus!
4. EBH
5. Chavanel
@minion
Is EBH racing? He bust three ribs in Scheldeprijs, didn’t he? So if he IS racing he’s a front-runner for the V award.
VSP PICKS:
1. Tom Tom Bone 'em
2. Russell Crowe
3. The Spanish Arrow
4. Philly Gilly
5. The Welsh WonderBoy
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Boonen
3. Hoste
4. Hushovd
5. Ballan
Potato will be under pressure to get a result here, and if he doesn’t then he will be chips.
Sparticus cause who’s going to bet against him
Ballan has shown some form
Giblet cause he’s strong and is eager for the win
THORRRRRR cause he is the god of thunder.
VSP PICKS:
1. Sparticus
2. Potato (Pozatto)
3. Ballan
4. THORRRRR
5. Giblet (Gilbert)
Just because i think if george won, he’d get off his bike, set his shoes on the track, and retire on the spot, never to touch a bike in his life ever again.
VSP PICKS:
1. Hincapie
2. Flecha
3. Leukemans
4. Thor
5. Boonen
Would love to see Shoveandyell do well again. He’s a class act. Happy viewing all.
VSP PICKS:
1. Chancellara
2. Boonen
3. Gilbert
4. Thor
5. (Shoveandyell) Chauvanel
I think Fabo rides away with it again and Tommy Boy defeats the God of Thunder in a sprint for second place. Flecha will ride hard for the Queen and Thomas will keep him near the front but he just doesn’t have the kick to go with the big boys. I’m torn between Ballan & Gilbert for 5th place but I’m going with BMC to get some results after a hard days work by the team.
If Thor can’t hold his shit together for at least a podium spot, the whole Garmin-Cervelo ‘classics dream team’ is officially a steaming shit pile of a failure.
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Boonen
3. Hushovd
4. Flecha
5. Ballan
Maybe he should do that before the race…
I have total confidence that Thor will finally do justice to the rainbows. He’ll outsprint Boonen in a dual of the titans. The rest will suck Fabs wheel all day and burn him out. Or something else will happen…who knows – that’s why I love this shit!
VSP PICKS:
1. Thunder Thors
2. Tomeke
3. Gilbert
4. Ballan
5. Flecha
I am so excited, I can hardly sit still. Time seems to have slowed. My senses have heightened. The world seems to be showing in brighter colours and higher definition. Roll on Sunday. Bienvenue en Enfer.
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara, wounded lion
2. Thor, up for it
3. Boonen, always the bridesmaid
4. Geraint T, on form
5. Big George H
Pure guesswork.
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Boonen
3. Hushovd
4. Hincapie
5. Flecha
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Boonen
3. Hincapie
4. Ballan
5. Hushovd
Fixed. Straight sub.
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Thor
3. This is Spartacus!
4. Michael Barry
5. Chavanel
Thor and the (unproven) Garvelo’s will vanquish their opponents once and for all, confirming superteam status and maturing from runners up to Winners. Spartacus won’t be able to drop the lot again, it’s an old move that is far too expected with garvelo finally supporting a leader and reigning him in with stellar lieutenants Haussler and Farrar. Boonen is now the perpetual runner up, beyond his golden era with Thomas the next big thing, a fact he will confirm with a solid 4th place. Hincapie is always there, never quite there enough.
VSP PICKS:
1. Thor, God of Thunder
2. Spartacus
3. Boonen
4. G Thomas
5. Hincapie
Just about to leave Paris after a short work-related trip. Unfortunately, I have to return to my role of domestique for a growing equipe of Velominata.
I will not be able to join those cobbled masses yearning to breathe the V.
Hopefully my relative proximity to the course (what, Compiègne-Roubaix didn’t focus-group well?) will bring about wisdom not otherwise possessed.
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Boonen
3. Ballan
4. Chavanel
5. Thomas
once again I’m just shooting from the hip on this. best of luck to all of you.
VSP PICKS:
1. Sparty
2. Ballan
3. Boonen
4. Thor
5. Gilbert
So many people can go for the win…
Also, you guys crashed the server. I couldn’t get on the site for 3 hours.
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Hushovd
3. Cancellara
4. Ballan
5. Jan-Anton Pijl
Just realized Gilbert is not riding.
VSP PICKS:
1. Sparty
2. Ballan
3. Boonen
4. Thomas
5. Thor
This taint easy but it never is. My thoughts? Boonen and Chavanel figure out how to ride together (or ignore orders) and make it to the V-Drome to finish 1 and 3, one man shy of the Mapei trifecta. After BMC gets Big George to within sight of the last sector he follows Tommeke and Chave for a podium spot and at least goes out in first place of all the losers. Faboo and Leukemans roll in sometime later. Sorry but Garmin won’t factor. Thor isn’t on form, Tyler let’s the pressure get all up in his grill, and Heine is a pussy. They should have taken the low road and kept White.
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Hincapie
3. Shavedinhell
4. Faboo
5. Leuk-I’myourfather-mans
3rd time is the charm. this is my final answer.
VSP PICKS:
1. Sparty
2. Ballan
3. Boonen
4. Thomas
5. Chavanel
VSP PICKS:
1. Sparty
2. Ballan
3. Boonen
4. Flecha
5. Chavanel
Ballan to surge from the select grroup a few km from the finish a la his world champs victory. Hincapie to be his foil. Spartacus marked out of the game by Hammond, Flecha and Potato and left with nothing for his sprint again. The rest to sprint it out for the minor places
VSP PICKS:
1. ball an ball
2. boonen ball
3. thor
4. spartacus
5. gran turismo thomas
VSP PICKS:
1. Spartacus is pissed!
2. Klier takes a flier
3. Tomke gets thirdke
4. Goss ain’t the boss
5. Throwin’ the George a Bone
My head tells me Fabu, but the Classics are all about heart. Being from Greenville, my heart desperately wants it to be George. Tommeke’s desperate brattiness last week leads me to believe his time has come and gone. Chavanel will break away again, but he’ll get caught by a rampaging Spartacus with the God of Thunder and George sucking on his wheel and Tommeke fading away to battle for 5th. Lightning strikes, George grows a pair, and takes a flyer at 5k and gets a 10 second gap that he barely holds to the end. Thor outsprints Fabu for 2nd, and Chavanel limps in for 4th.
VSP PICKS:
1. Big George
2. God of Thunder
3. Fabu
4. Chavanel
5. Tommeke
its gonna be hot, fast, dry. I was hoping for cold, wet, nasty and a terrible north wind, but…another year blows, it still is the Queen
VSP PICKS:
1. Spartacus
2. Thor
3. Hincapie
4. Boonens bye gone
5. Thomas
@Bo
I’m in Spartanburg, and I feel you on the Big George pick.
Forgot to put in my picks on that last post.
VSP PICKS:
1. Hincapie
2. Boonen
3. Hushovd
4. Geraint
5. cancellara
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Boonen
3. Chavanel
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Chavanel
3. Boonen
4. Flecha
5. Gilbert
VSP PICKS:
1. Hushovd
2. Boonen
3. Cancellara
4. Flecha
5. Pozzato
How do we feel about Boonen possibly tying the record of Mr. Paris-Roubaix?
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Boonen
3. Hushovd
4. Chavanel
5. Hincapie
Since I forgot to put this up last night, and no one’s beaten me to it, here’s my favorite P-R quote h/t The Weekly Cycle via The Inner Ring (also check out de Rooij’s comment on his famous quote, here:
“Another observation that sums up some of the sentiment of the race was made by the Dutchman, Theo de Rooij. In 1985 he was in the winning position until a crash put paid to that. After the race, he had this to say;
‘It’s a bollocks, this race! You’re working like an animal, you don’t have time to piss, you wet your pants. You’re riding in mud like this, you’re slipping … it’s a pile of shit.’
When then asked if he would start the race again, he replied:
‘Sure, it’s the most beautiful race in the world!'”
Andrea Tafi’s Cervelo from P-R 2003 just showed up in my coffee shop. So in honor of Il Gladiatore, I have to go with the contemporary iteration. Which wasn’t in much doubt anyway. Thor wants this and he’ll give it his all. I think Garvelo have sorted out their cooks in the kitchen problem, with Farrar going for it on Wednesday and Thor rolling in at the back of the bunch (with Spartacus). Can you imagine, though, how quiet that team bus will be””post-race””if another Garvelo rolls across the line before Thor?
VSP PICKS:
1. Spartacus
2. Norwegian in Rainbows
3. BMC Ballan
4. Young GnT
5. Rollin Canuck
@Marko
I just don’t see it. As strong as he finished last weekend, he looked vulnerable. And two crashes on Wednesday can’t be good. There’s been a lot of talk about him being stronger and Spartacus being weaker, but I can’t see it. Pressure on Pozzatto: pass or fail? And am I right in reading that Gilbert’s not riding?
Ah ha ha…just heard Cancellara use the phrase, “at the end of the day.” One of my current pet peeves is hearing every single athlete and coach use this during an interview, as if they are suddenly in philosophical mode.
However, Cancellara just meant, actually, at the end of the Ronde last week. Nice.
Sunday is going to be awesome! Very excited already.
@Marko
No problem, just he does not inspires me.
RAWR! This week’s picks, surely I’ll get at least 1 point, as is my tradition.
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Fabio
3. Thor
4. O’Grady
5. Chavanel
Chavanel because you gotta love him… and I saw him while training in the Costa Blanca and shouted out (embarrassment!)
Thomas… because I’m Welsh… well 3/8ths.
VSP PICKS:
1. Sylvain
2. Gearaint
3. Faboo
4. Thor
5. White (Cobbled?) Line Fever
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Hushovd
3. Chavanel
4. Hincapie
5. Thomas
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Gilbert
3. Boonen
4. Ballan
VSP PICKS:
1. Hushovd
2. Cancellara
3. Boonen
4. Flecha
5. Pozzato
Man, I am getting pumped for this race. A bar need my place will be showing it on their TV, and they have Belgian beers available. Should be a good time! Starts at 4:00 pm where I live, so not a bad time to watch a race either…
Me too. I have a Maredsous lurking in my refrigerator already. With such a deep field I need to ponder my picks a little while longer before I post.
PhilGil out, GoT in.
VSP PICKS:
1. Tom Tom Bone ’em
2. Fabs
3. The Spanish Arrow
4. Thunder
5. The Welsh WonderBoy
I certainly don’t know much but I do know to pick Cancellara. If, (as many suspect) Faboo’s legs are leaden, I’d love to see a repeat of 2007 and watch his mate Stuey the Freckle slay ’em all again. However I can see Stuey setting it up for his room-mate and no one will be able to go with him.
There’s bound to be a roughy up there somewhere, but I’m picking for points and have gone with the class of the Classics.
Enjoy the race
VSP PICKS:
1. Faboo
2. Thor
3. Ballan
4. Boonen
5. Chavanel