Velominati Super Prestige

Velominati Super Prestige: Paris-Roubaix

Servais Knaven, he earned that sweet shower plaque Crédit photo : DPPI

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]

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277 Replies to “Velominati Super Prestige: Paris-Roubaix”

  5. @frank
    I put Cav in my picks because its going to be dry, he can be a tough little shite and if luck rides with him… I expect him to go down once or twice and bounce back up. If it had been wet then no way.

  6. Okay, picking without much thought today because I’m outta here to go ride a 6hr MTB race for the rest of the day (it’s 5am – gonna be a looong day, and an even longer night). I wonder if I can score more than three points this time?

    VSP PICKS:

    2. Ballan
    3. Cancellara

  7. Okay, picking without much thought today because I’m outta here to go ride a 6hr MTB race for the rest of the day (it’s 5am – gonna be a looong day, and an even longer night). I couldn’t even find a start list… I wonder if I can score more than three points this time?

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Thomas
    2. Ballan
    3. Chavanel
    4. Cancellara
    5. Greg van Avermaet

  11. Hmm … struggling for originality with my picks today, as are we all. Some common themes above.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Fabian
    2. Thor
    3. Boonen
    4. Gilbert
    5. Ballan

  12. Here goes nothing.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Thor
    2. Tommeke
    3. Cancellara
    4. Chavanel
    5. Van Avermaet

  13. I guess I have to agree with Tomeke…Its hard to imagine what without a motor (they check for them now) he will be able to hold on; MSR through Paris-Roubaix is a monstrous peak…more like a plateau than a peak…Boonen and Hushovd are the two who seem to be hitting their form the best; Boonen showed some strength but just missing a touch of form last week, Hushovd has been remarkably quiet for a guy who’s primary goal is tomorrow’s race. Sounds suspiciously like a guy who’s focused a lot on this race and is timing his peak perfectly. Too bad for him, he will arrive on the track outnumbered and Chav will lead out the sprint for Boonen who will make the Flemish commentators on the feed I’ll be watching go completely berserk.

    Come stumble my mirth beaten worker
    I’m Jezmund the family berzerker
    I’m bought for the price of a flagon of rice
    The wind buffs the cabin, you speak of your life
    Or more willingly Locust the Lurker

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Boonen
    2. Hushovd
    3. Chavenhell
    4. Potato
    5. Hincrapie

  15. Be nice to have a week in cycling without a fucking drug scandal

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Cancellara
    2. Boonen
    3. Hoste
    4. Hushovd
    5. Chavanel

  17. Cancellara can’t make the mistake twice and everyone rides in fear of his efforts. I think it comes down to a very late effort that springs him…

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Cancellara

  18. sorry…misfire! As with last week there are so many potential riders in the top 5 that it’s a bit of a turkey shoot….I’m going with some safe bets, it’s true, but I think Cancellara will be highly motivated, Flecha a powerful ally late – for awhile, Husovd and Boonen just a bit off their game and DeGendt a comer…

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Cancellara
    2. Flecha
    3. Husovd
    4. Boonen
    5. DeGendt

  19. Tricky tricky. I’d like to see Thor do *something* for the classics season.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. God of Sunder
    2. Faboo
    3. Hincapie
    4. Flecha
    5. Chavanel

  20. Man, I really need to start checking the start lists before I throw my picks out there! Switch in picks as Gilbert is not even going to be there. Otherwsie, same order and names.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Cancellara
    2. Boonen
    3. Thor
    4. Chavanel
    5. Ballan

  21. OK, it’s gotten to me. Ballan will be too distracted by coming up with a food product to blame his auto-transfusion on and forget to hydrate. Going back to Hushovd like all the previous weeks.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Cancellara
    2. Boonen
    3. Thor Thport
    4. Chavanel
    5. Thomas

  22. Fick it, swapping Thorpedo for Shavedinhell. That dude has to be past his peak.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Boonen
    2. Hincapie
    3. Thor
    4. Faboo
    5. Leuk-Iamyourfather-mans

  23. And there’s no way Potato can factor after RDV basically called him a big pussy. How do you recover from that?

  24. VSP PICKS:

    1. Boonen
    2. Hushovd
    3. Chavanel
    4. Cancellara
    5. Flecha

  26. All righty then, I reckon it’s time to sack up here. I have to go with Fabooo because he is a strongman, no? Tommeke is looking damn good but not as badass as FC. I’d love to see my boy Thor win but he does seem off his feed. Ballan, no, Hincapie, never, Thomas, in the future. I’ll chuck Pozzato in there for laughs, I wouldn’t want to have Tchmil on my ass. He really needs to git ‘er done.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. fabooo
    2. Tommeke
    3. Thor
    4. pozzato
    5. leukemans

  27. @Marko
    Maybe it will piss him off enough to get him in the top 5?

    @frank
    Belgian cycling commentators are right up there with South American Spanish speaking football commentators – berserk is just the tip of the wacko ice burg.

    So I did not go with the favorites on my picks because it was just to easy and this is PR where bad stuff can happen – not that any of my picks will get past the first pave but it seems that everyone is going with the obvious and there is no way that an underdog can win this. I wonder what the historical record is on picking the favorites vs. the underdogs?
    Can’t wait…

  28. VSP PICKS:

    1. Thor Hushovd
    2. Fabian Cancellara
    3. Tom Boonen
    4. Chavanel
    5. Ballan

  29. VSP PICKS:

    1. Ballan
    2. Cancellara
    3. Chavanel
    4. Hincapie
    5. Flecha

  33. VSP PICKS:

    1. F. Cancellara
    2. T. Boonen
    3. Thor
    4. Hincapie
    5. Chavanel

  37. Spartacus to go clear from the breakaway in the final 10kms… Goss to pick up the sprint over Thor and Burghardt and Klier to round out the 5. Boonen out of the picture with equipment failure.

    Only hours to go now… BRING IT ON!!!

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Spartacus
    2. Goss
    3. Thor
    4. Burghardt
    5. Klier

  39. Enough! It’s impossible to pick using logic. A couple of roughies in my line up to counter the masses tipping the favourites.
    Now for Belgian beer and a bikes on the box!

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Cancellara
    2. Bone on
    3. Goss
    4. Flecha
    5. Hinault

  41. VSP PICKS:

    1. Cancellara
    2. Chavanel
    3. Boonen
    4. Cooke
    5. O’Grady

  42. VSP PICKS:

    1. Tommeke
    2. Thor
    3. Goss
    4. Spartacus
    5. Flecha

  44. New term: Harry Flatters. “They’ll be riding Harry Flatters when they hit the Forest Arenberg.” awesome.

  47. Why did I nominate Boonen?

    If nothing dramatic happens I think Boom or Tjallingi will seize the day.

  48. Oh no! Tom, say it ain’t so. Boonen and Thomas in the same crash. (Caused by a Dutchman, Frank …)

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