Velominati Super Prestige: Paris Tours 2012
The final race of the 2012 Velominati Super Prestige season is upon us. It’s not the most inspiring race, supposedly a race for the sprinters. The long straight final run in to the finish line begs for a mass sprint. It should be called Châteauneuf-en-Thymerais-Tours. The route is 235.5 km of small rollers through the French countryside. There is not a categorized climb on it.
Captain Fuck Around is eleven points behind @san tonio. If the captain stops fucking around like he did with last week’s Lombardia winning pick @g’phant could be mincing around Wellington in a different apron from the one he usually wears. @xyxax, a few points behind el captaine, is swirling his hands over his crystal ball in his Gotham lair, his flying monkeys grinning and hopping with excitement over his shoulder. @ san tonio is standing tall, a few decent choices and he will win this whole thing but this is a tough race to call. It’s October, who has any gas in the tank? This could be a true sprint finish with remnants of lead out trains, or won from a small break or something freakish like a climber holding off the whole chasing peloton.
Did France’s ex-golden boy get off the EPO after the Festina affair? Did he win Paris-Tours by holding off the whole field on a day-long break with Jackie Durand riding on bread and water? For me it was easily his greatest win. It was much better than all his king of the mountain wins with their self-righteous finish line salutes to his own cheating ass. He was a climber, he was supposed to win mountain stages. But to end up being the lone fox chased by the whole pack, holding them off and winning this so called sprinters race, it was beautiful, Voight-esque. It’s how a race should be won. This win actually made me like him again, a little bit. Sprinters get enough wins already. They are over-rated.
Here is a provisional start list, good luck and good picking, no Delgados, please.
Below is a barely adequate video of the 2001 race and Virenque’s win, all in French and too many shots of him in his sweater. But it is short.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8QjoLylT1M&playnext=1&list=PL0582720E507C62A8&feature=results_main[/youtube]
This race has the potential for a great finish, like Gilbert v. Boonen 2009:
Er..sprinters..er um I should know something about this..or not. OK the sprint has been lengthened this year from 600-800m so the most experienced and savvy wheel suckers will win the day I suspect…
VSP PICKS:
1. degenkiob
2. ballan
3. bouhanni
4. blythe
5. petit
Er..sprinters..er um I should know something about this..or not. OK the sprint has been lengthened this year from 600-800m so the most experienced and savvy wheel suckers will win the day I suspect…
Lotta unfamiliar names and smaller teams. Going with a predominately French theme.
VSP PICKS:
1. BONNET William
2. CHAVANEL Sylvain
3. BOOM Lars
4. DUMOULIN Samuel
5. THOMAS Geraint
There’s a bike race going on? Again? No time to watch, as I will likely be laying out V-Dan-Henry’s on Whidbey Island. I hope.
VSP PICKS:
1. Ciolek
2. Maaskant
3. Boom
4. Rast
5. Cooke
It had better be a sprint finish, or I’m screwed!
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. Cantwell
3. Blythe
4. Hutarovich
5. Matthews
Not a clue and I can’t win but hey all the other guys might get eaten by bears and the apron will then be mine, mine, all mine I tell you.
VSP PICKS:
1. Meersman
2. De Gendt
3. Thomas
4. Terpstra
5. Fuglsang
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Van Avermat
3. Boom
4. Westra
5. Chavanel
VSP PICKS:
1. Ballan
2. Boom Boom
3. Flecha
4. Casper
5. Fouchard
Assiduous research informed me of a likely headwind all day, but I can’t remember what that means. Breakaway more likely? less likely? Probably one or the other but I am too tired after a long season to work it out.
Luckily though, a tingle in my pants announced “semi sprinter!”. Everybody loves semi sprinters.
Less luckily, most semi sprinters ( if indeed such things actually exist outside of my head ) seem to have broken collarbones.
So fuck it – here’s a bunch of fast finishers and potential baroudeurs. And of course some corn on the kolb for insurance.
VSP PICKS:
1. Lieuwe Westra
2. Ian Stannard
3. Tom Boonen
4. Vladimir Isaichev
5. John Degenkolb
Hang on, scratch that Westra wastrel, he never does anything when I think he will. Marcato is a more sensible Vacansoleil pick.
VSP PICKS:
1. Tom Boonen
2. Vladimir Isaichev
3. Ian Stannard
4. Marco Marcato
5. John Degenkolb
VSP PICKS:
1. Blythe
2. Degenkolb
3. Bouhanni
4. Kroon
5. Matthews
It’s like picking names out of a hat for this race…
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. Ballan
3. Flecha
4. Van Avermaet
5. Mollema
VSP PICKS:
1. DEGENKOLB
2. BALLAN
3. FLECHA
4. MOLLEMA
5. VAN AVERMAET
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. Chavanel
3. Boom
4. Ballan
5. De Gendt
Jacky Bobby gets away, and a Garmin Stagiare picks up the pieces. Go Steele!!
VSP PICKS:
1. Bobridge
2. Von Hoff
3. Degenkolb
4. Cantwell
5. Boom
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. Bling Matthews
3. The Hoff
4. Leukemans
5. Chavanel
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. J. Roelandts
3. Van Avermaet
4. Boonen
5. G.Thomas
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. Cantwell
3. van Avermaet
4. Hutarovich
5. Matthews
@il ciclista medio O is flecha riding…I thought there were only 2 sky riders in…Thomas and Edvald?
Arghhh! Indecision…
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. van Avermaet
3. Ciolek
4. Said Haddou
5. Giacomo Nizzolo
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. Blythe
3. Boom
4. Petit
5. Ciolek
My Lord, this has to be one of the hardest ones to call all year. What a crap shoot.
BTW, Boonen was only listed as an alternate and he is not on the cyclingfever start list for all you picking Tommeke.
Also, lot of love for Degenkolb here! Something you all know that I do not?
VSP PICKS:
1. Westra
2. Degenkob
3. Van Avermaet
4. Mercato
5. Stannard
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. Bouhanni
3. Blythe
4. Van Avermaet
5. Steegmans
Who the fuck knows. This is like trying to diagnose a creak in a Wal-mart bicycle.
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. Van Avermaet
3. Appollonio
4. Boom
5. Chavenel
VSP PICKS:
1. Dekengolb
2. Blythe
3. Matthews
4. Casper
5. Appollonio
VSP PICKS:
1. B Eisel
2. Blythe
3. Chavanel
4. L Boom
5. G Thomas
Here goes my last attempt to overhaul the Oracle and secure the case of beer on wager in the VSP. Total crap shoot.
Damn, I really dislike Virenque. Slimy wee turd. I’m working up a piece on one of THE great French cyclists of the modern age: Charly Mottet. Tricky Dicky isn’t fit to lick Charly’s sweet Rivats IMHO.
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. Boom
3. Dumoulin
4. Blythe
5. Chavanel
Isn’t Juan Antonio due for a top step? Huh?
VSP PICKS:
1. Flecha
2. Van Avermaet
3. Degenkolb
4. Cooke
5. Ballan
Hopefully I can avoid doing a Nico Roach and stay in the top 10.
VSP PICKS:
1. Flecha
2. Fuglsang
3. Degenkolb
4. Blythe
5. Steegmans
This is it. ‘Ja’
I’ve been looking froward to this last VSP race. ‘Ja’
Though I’m having a hard time, ‘Ja’
coming up with a winner, ‘Ja’
I think that I’ve got someone in mind. ‘Ja’
This could be a very special day for me. ‘Ja’
I’m pretty proud of my season so far ‘Ja’
and I’m feeling very confident ‘Ja’
of my chances. ‘Ja’
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. Bouhanni
3. Dumoulin
4. Chavanel S.
5. Pineau
Cutters!
VSP PICKS:
1. Flecha
2. Bookwalter
3. Chavanel
4. Klier
5. Dumoulin
VSP PICKS:
1. J. Degenkolb
2. L. Boom
3. D. Appollonio
4. G. Van Avermaet
5. G. Steegmans
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. van Avermaet
3. Ciolek
4. Cantwell
5. Giacomo Nizzolo
Haiving trouble with start lists not matching web articles on who is racing.
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. Bouhanni
3. van Avermaet
4. Cantwell
5. Giacomo Nizzolo
VSP PICKS:
1. J. Degenkolb
2. N. Bouhanni
3. D. Appollonio
4. G. Van Avermaet
5. L. Boom
VSP PICKS:
1. Flecha
2. Degenkolb
3. Boom
4. Chavanel
5. Boonen
That was an amazing ride by Reechaard, and to do it in the company of Durand, the crazy-long breakaway specialist made it even cooler. Remember it well, my disbelief when I saw the result on cyclingnews the next day. I wonder what he was saying when he crossed the line? Anyone?
In honor of that ride, Im going for a French climber to go on a day-long tear and hold off the pack.
VSP PICKS:
1. Riblon
2. Degenkolb
3. Cooke
4. Eisel
5. Casper
My season is over, but couldn’t bring myself to delago the last race……
VSP PICKS:
1. Van avermaet
2. Bouhanni
3. Blythe
4. Degenkolb
5. Ciolek
VSP PICKS:
1. degenkolb
2. flecha
3. boom
4. chav
5. boonen
??
VSP PICKS:
1. von Hoff
2. Degenkolb
3. Boom
4. Ciolek
5. Van Avermaet
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. Flecha
3. Van Avermaet
4. Bouhanni
5. Ballan
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. Ciolek
3. Bouhanni
4. Van Avermaet
5. Boom
VSP PICKS:
1. S. Chav
2. Boom
3. Degenkolb
4. Ciolek
5. Quinziato
VSP PICKS:
1. Van Avermaet
2. Boom
3. Flecha
4. Chavanel
5. Degenkolb
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. Boonen
3. Chavanel
4. Stannard
5. Van Avermaet
VSP PICKS:
1. Dengelkob
2. Blythe
3. Steegmans
4. Bouhanni
5. Van avermat
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. Bouhanni
3. Van Avemet
4. Chavanel
5. Ciolek
@VeloVita
@Nate
Holy Fuck! The power of those two as they hit the line is simply amazing. And Boonen is hammering it while Phil almost looks like it’s easy. I could watch those two ride bikes all day long. Both look so powerful, so smooth, so awesome. Powerful Belgians just look better to me than bean pole Catalans.
VeloVita – I was helping a friend’s friend out last night. We were working on her 15 year old Murray. “The brake is too hard to pull.” Well, it could be this. Or that. Or this. Or that. Or this.
No, not everyone needs a $5000 bike, but damn, there is something to be said for decent stuff that can be fixed and worked on.