Velominati Super Prestige: Paris-Tours 2013
Oh brothers and sisters, we find ourselves here again. It was but a few moments ago when the Milan-Sanremo VSP went up. Racers fought the sleet, producing an unforgettable start to the Velominati VSP season. Cancellara, Nibali, Froome and, and Horner were all big points winners for our astute and well informed audience. But now it has come to Paris-Tours, the last big road race of the season, unless you count the Tour of Beijing, which we don’t.
Authon-du-Perche to Tours, 235 km of relatively flat riding; a sprinters route. Or a passista’s route judging from some of the former winners: Tchmil, Tafi, Museeuw. Or if you inject enough epo into him, a climber’s route: Richard Virenque. I say this every year when this race comes up; his win here almost made me like him. I actually liked him a lot for this win but his overall obnoxious quotient kept him firmly in the hate.
So place your bets carefully. This race is quite hard to predict, it could go so many ways. And this is almost the last chance for bragging rights in the 2013 VSP so pray to your gods for guidance and make a move before Sunday. It would be a shame to Delgado the penultimate event of the VSP season.
Start list is here. Here is the very classy Andrea Tafi showing how you win a sprinters race the hard way.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWZJfPbs3is[/youtube]
VSP PICKS:
1. Saussler
2. Ciolek
3. T-Bone
4. GVA
5. Vanmarcke
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. Farrar
3. Ciolek
4. Van Avermaet
5. Marcato
Also Gianni, isn’t there the Women’s Chronos race the weekend after this one on the VSP schedule so there will be just one more after this one, correct?
VSP PICKS:
1. GASPAROTTO Enrico
2. FARRAR Tyler
3. VOECKLER Thomas
4. CHAVANEL Sylvain
5. PICHON Laurent
VSP PICKS:
1. Boom
2. Farrar
3. Degenkolb
4. Haussler
5. Roelandts
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. Marcato
3. Van Avermaet
4. Haussler
5. Janse Van Rensburg
VSP PICKS:
1. Van Avermaet
2. Degenkolb
3. Ciolek
4. Boom
5. Ferrar
@Buck Rogers
Balls! Yes! I am wrong. You are correct. I will edit. Women’s Chrono…who can remember such races?
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. Van Avermaet
3. Farrar
4. Ciolek
5. Meersman
VSP PICKS:
1. Demare
2. Degenkolb
3. Renshaw
4. M Ignatyev
5. Terpstra
@Gianni
You said it, not me. Didn’t there used to be a men’s Chrono race at the end of the season back in the ’80’s? Seems like it. I need to research that one.
VSP PICKS:
1. cholick
2. furrier
3. rickshaw
4. husseler
5. lars
@Buck Rogers
Grand Prix des Nations
VSP PICKS:
1. Ciolek
2. Degenkolb
3. Meersman
4. Farrar
5. Chavanel
Dark, shot, in the…
VSP PICKS:
1. FARRAR Tyler
2. VAN AVERMAET Greg
3. DEGENKOLB John
4. VAN POPPEL Danny
5. BAUER Jack
Lots of strong sprinters teams, so any breakaway will be brought back.
Farrar got his contract renewed, so he will disappear for another 11 months…
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. Demare
3. Coquard
4. Debusschere
5. Jules
How on earth are you meant to pick for a VSP without Sky in the mix?! Well it’s easy, just throw darts at the screen and pick the names accordingly…..just don’t expect the “Pooter” to work afterwards!
VSP PICKS:
1. Meersman
2. Degenkolb
3. Van Poppel
4. Farrar
5. Renshaw
If all 5 come in that order i could still win………
And in reality I’ll be lucky to place one of those riders.
Eyes on next year then!
VSP PICKS:
1. Gerald Ciolek
2. Enrico Gasparatto
3. Mark Renshaw
4. Tyler Farrar
5. Nikki Terpstra
VSP PICKS:
1. Gianni Meersman
2. Greg Van Avermaet
3. Gerald Ciolek
4. Sep Vanmarcke
5. Thomas De Gendt
VSP PICKS:
1. Boom
2. Ciolek
3. Degenkolb
4. Van Poppel
5. Renshaw
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. boom
3. Van Avermaet
4. Ciolek
5. Farrar
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. Ciolek
3. Van Avermaet
4. Meersman
5. Farrar
VSP PICKS:
1. Ciolek
2. Degenkolb
3. Offredo
4. Roelandts
5. GVA
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. Demare
3. Ciolek
4. Dumoulin S
5. VAN AVERMAET Greg
VSP PICKS:
1. Farrar
2. Ciolek
3. Dangenkolb
4. Van Avermaet
5. Meersman
VSP PICKS:
1. Boom
2. Degonkolb
3. Farrar
4. Demare
5. Marcato
With a shout-out to Tyler Farrar. He needs another sprint win to get a kick start to his new contract where there is no one to help him get set up for the sprint.
Also wish there was room for Ciolek in my picks.
VSP PICKS:
1. Greg Van Avermaet
2. Henrich Haussler
3. Tommy V
4. Warren Barguil
5. John Degenkolb
VSP PICKS:
1. Thomas VOECKLER
2. Gerald CIOLEK
3. John DEGENKOLB
4. Greg VAN AVERMAET
5. Danny VAN POPPEL
Going with Farrar on a hunch and against every rational molecule in my being.
VSP PICKS:
1. Farrar
2. Degenkolb
3. Demare
4. Dumoulin
5. Vanmarcke
Farrar winning a bunch sprint is about as likely a Horner winning a grand tour.
In a reversal of 2012 Marcato will have one last victory for Vacansoleil and those Bianchis.
So long guys and thanks for all the fish.
The other places will be taken by people you’ve never heard of.
Probably.
The 2013 Keepers Tour attendees should note that Hugo will be riding – solid chap and I wish him well – he won’t win though.
As with the Worlds – no Brits are turning up. Thanks Sky for your commitment to the Classics.
VSP PICKS:
1. Marco Marcato
2. Greg Van Avermaet
3. Mickaël Delage
4. Geoffroy Lequatre
5. Roy Curvers
Why is Marcato such an unpopular choice? Has he had the plague this summer and no one told me like when Judas Gadret had bronchitis and never thought to mention in in the Tour last year thus costing me any chance of winning those V stamped wet wipes or whatever the prize was.
Git.
Sprint Finish.
VSP PICKS:
1. Arnaud Demare
2. Bryan Coquard
3. Gerald Ciolek
4. Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg
5. Andrew Fenn
Pish picks, but what the hell. I see Sky can’t be arsed sending anyone.
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. Dumoulin
3. Ciolek
4. Farrar
5. Sylvain Chavanel
@mouse
Indeed, the Grand Prix des Nations. Back before there was a World TT championship, there was the Nations. A sad omission from the calendar. Working o a piece on Daniel Gisiger who won the Nations twice and the Baracchi Trophy three times. Before Faboo, there was Danny G.
VSP PICKS:
1. Farrar
2. Dekengolb
3. Avermet
4. Ciolek
5. Meersman
I know I’ve got more chance of winning the lottery but here goes. Would love to see Haussler get top 5; a good guy who has had a shitty run of luck.
VSP PICKS:
1. John Degenkolb
2. Sylvain Chavanel
3. Johan Van Summeren
4. Graeme Brown
5. Heinrich Haussler
@Harminator
Hmmm. So he has a good chance? Or Horner is doped to the gills? Or maybe he has a chance if he is doped to the gills. Anyway. Fun time to be had by all this weekend. Give me my pirate internet video feed of some random foreign language I barely comprehend.
No time to think about this, son is getting married in 2 hours. hopefully better than a Delgado
VSP PICKS:
1. Farrar
2. Van summeren
3. Voukler
4. Van averermaet
5. Hausler
@seemunkee
Nice job on the multi-tasking though. Hope the wedding goes well.
Picking one great name and the funniest name, there were plenty of contenders to choose from but Ivar edges it
VSP PICKS:
1. CHAVANEL Sylvain
2. DEGENKOLB John
3. HINAULT Sébastien
4. CIOLEK Gerald
5. SLIK Ivar
Need to think this through…initial picks in case the Nyquil renders me unconscious for the weekend.
VSP PICKS:
1. John Degenkolb
2. Niki Terpstra
3. Tommy Voeckler
4. Greg Van Avermaet
5. Mercato
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkold
2. Demarre
3. Ciolek
4. Farrar
5. Sylvain Chavanel
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. Demarre
3. Ciolek
4. Farrar
5. Sylvain Chavanel
VSP PICKS:
1. DEMARE
2. Syl CHAVANEL
3. VAN AVARMAET
4. DEGENKOLB
5. BOOM
VSP PICKS:
1. J Degenkolb
2. A Demare
3. G Van Avermaet
4. T Farrar
5. G Ciolek
I’m not taking these picks as super cereal as I should.
VSP PICKS:
1. Greg Van ‘Avinit.
2. Boom boom shake the room
3. Tryer Failure
4. John Dodgytash
5. Arnold Demure
In a pleasing act of symmetry the German closes the curtain he opened in March. Was it March, or April, anyway he’s bound to do it.
VSP PICKS:
1. Ciolek
2. Danny Van Poppel
3. Degenkolb
4. Dehaes
5. Belkov
Puncheurs Paradise
VSP PICKS:
1. voeckler
2. van avermaet
3. ciolek
4. mercato
5. Demure
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. Demare
3. Van Avermaet
4. Farrar
5. Ciolek