Velominati Super Prestige: Paris-Tours 2014
Attention, this is the final event on the Men’s VSP calendar for 2014. There is one more Women’s event to come. We may already have a winner of this years over-all but the rest of the podium could be up for grabs. @il muro di manayunk has broken away and I’m not sure @steampunk is going to chase him down. Has everyone noticed how @xyxax is always up there, every year? His mojo is also good this year.
Paris-Tours is billed as a sprinter’s classic but recent wins by Phil Gil and Greg Van Avermaet let one know it can be won by a tough one day rider too. It’s long, 237 km but relatively flat. And it’s not the Tour of Beijing, is that a reward or punishment to miss Paris-Tours and fly to China for a few days?
Who still has any form in October? What non-climber finished well last weekend? There are a lot of dark horses in this start list but only the masseurs have a clue who is going to climb into the team car at the first feed and who is not. Is this finally when Heinrich Haussler pulls the trigger and wins something again? No, probably not.
All right VSP players, one more chance for Men’s Elite glory here. Pray to your god and don’t delgado. Good luck.
[vsp_results id=”31269″/]
Very nice seeing Heinie showing in the results! Also amazes me how often this race winds up not being a sprinter’s finish…and who the fuck is Roy Jans? I had to add him to the database!
In other news, @Il Muro is confirmed as our 2014 VSP Champion, @Steampunk takes second place, and @xyxax takes third by a single point over @schlitzy malt talls. (I would suggest that you two and also anyone else who was close to the hunt go double check their results from previous events and check whether you agree with the tally.)
@xyxax
He’s got a lot of nerve!
Thanks, @frank & Keepers for a terrific season of fun. And congrats to @il muro di manayunk for some excellent picks. Back to winter hill repeats for me in preparation for 2015.
Crikey! There are a bunch of unfamiliar names at the top of those results. We were lucky to take any points from that lot.
But still, a win is a win!! I should get a VSP contract for 2015 now..
@Bianchi Denti
Denti picks HH for fifth! Fucking genius.
I’ll second @Steampunk‘s thanks to @frank and the Keepers for making this season a ton of fun and for running the best cycling site around. I had been a regular, but anonymous, reader for a while, and the VSP prompted me to sign up and get involved with the community.
I’m still somewhat in disbelief that I managed to win this thing.
I think third is all wrapped too but for a miracle. Well done to the prize winners and thanks keepers.
@Steampunk
+1 to that
Keepers and podiums well done, what a terrific season, the completion was fierce. My opening spring campaign had me on the third step for a blink and since I had not contended seriously since the first VSP that had me falling asleep with visions of a new bike – something I have not had since four fiths of the way through the last century.
I’m so glad I Delgatoed this race… Voeckler (who would have thought), Haussler, Wallays, Roy who? Denti, the rest of the top 6 truely are genius and I just have to give xyxax special mention for his increadable consistency of being near the top almost every race!
Thank you keepers!
Wow… I’m rockin’ 3rd place with one point! Congrats to the winners. I bumped into Steampunk at Domestique Cafe (in Dundas, Ontario, Canada) this aft. He was mentioning something about an n+1 track mosheen–with nice new wheels! Hey Steamy…do tell more–with pics.
The Paris-Tours is the only surviving classics race that Merckx never won. Interestingly, Wallays won today’s race on a Merckx 525. Coincidence? I think not!
@freddy
The best thing for Jelle Wallays is he can now use Noel van Tyghem’s classic line:
“Between us, I and Eddy Merckx have won every classic that can be won.”
This VSP season has gotten away from me. I was away in the mtns. with the hounds and the velomispouse.
Oh well, not having the time to sit around and choose picks for every race this year is a bit of a good sign. New job, less free time, plenty of new, good things going on in my life. And, still riding every day, even if it’s more commuting and less five hour road loops.
Change is good, and I’m going in new directions these days. But, the bikes will be along for the ride! Especially because I can commute on a dedicated bike path for the majority of my 40 minute ride to work. Not a bad way to start the day. (and, the bike can come inside my office! And, as much as trying to truly ride on a MUP stinks, just cruising into work on them and not dealing with distracted cagers is awesome.)
I was away from my computer for 12 hours and Delgadoed, but it made no difference to my score.
@frank
So are we not VSPing the Chrono de Nations? or is is just that these three are so far ahead that nothing that happens from here on out could affect the end result?
@VeloVita
Nope, you’re absolutely right! We have one more event to go! Forget all that stuff I said about the season being closed. I’m an idiot, should be no surprise to anyone…
@frank
So I shouldn’t have burned my current wheels for heat last night? Awkward!
@Steampunk
Looks like we’re going to have some trackstanding, cat & mouse action between Il Muro and Steampunk on the way to the VSP finish line, since by my logic Il Muro can maintain his lead as long he ensures they both choose the same top 5 in the last round. Who can get their picks in the latest without Delgado-ing?
@VeloVita I have a 23 point lead and the maximum points for a one day race if you get all 5 correct is 21, so with one race left I win even with a delgado and if steampunk aces his picks.
@VeloVita Unless I am missing something, which is also entirely possible.
@il muro di manayunk
Have you taken into account the 10pt deduction you automatically get for being from Philadelphia?
@VeloVita
That’s a good point, but remember Steamy’s from Canada. I mean, that’s like a really foreign country!
@wiscot
10 point deduction for @Il Muro (Philly for fucks sake – all they have going is cheese steak!), 20 points for @Steamy (Canada, for fucks sake – all they have going is poutine!) and a 30 point credit to @xycyxxyxyxyxys (from NYC and fighting Ebola in his spare time for fucks sakes!).
This could be a close race yet!
@VeloVita
Shit! And I thought the municipal corruption, crumbling infrastructure, and broken public education system were punishments enough for being a Philadelphian.
Lay off Philthydelphia. Monk’s Café is one of the finest Belgian beer establishments I’ve visited. That’s got to be worth at least 10 points for @il muro di manayunk to make up for the deficit. I’m loath to add that my last port of call in the US before returning to the Motherland was Philly. But once you convert the VSP points to metric, I’m still way out in front no matter how many points you want to knock off…
@Steampunk
Oh yes, any Philaskeptics should stop by Monk’s or its offspring The Belgian Cafe if they find themselves in town for some reason. Also, Eulogy Tavern is pretty damn great too.
Oh kripes, this is like the club Halloween (or the Guy) race when you just want a friggin rest until the six day season starts…
Never rode a six or a lot of other races that had bergs or cobbles but I do know how it feels when your ready to hang up the wheels or burn them because it’s getting cold.
And yes I vote give the frame to @xyxax he deserves some love before Ebola jumps from Dallas to your city!
@frank
yes, thanks, I could use the bonus points about now. My recruitment campaign slogan –
“Ebola Fever-Catch It!”
hasn’t been very popular with the millenials and so now updating my resumé.
@Rob
My hazmat suit is Speedplay-compatible only. Sucks.
The chasers are looking at each other before the final.
@il muro di manayunk
@il muro di manayunk
I love Philly actually. Agreed about Monk’s and Eulogy. I’m also partial to The Dark Horse on 2nd and Lombard. I think the food/drink culture in that city is phenomenal – Amada and Zahav are a couple of my favorites. As far as bike shops go, Cadence is a lot of fun to browse and my #1 was made by Drew Guldalian of Engin Cycles/Wissahickon Cyclery in Chestnut Hill. The riding around Philly is pretty good as well. My derogatory comments were entirely tongue in cheek.
@VeloVita, @Rob, & @xyxax:
Philly, Speedplays, and Ebola are three of my favourite things.
@xyxax
I read The Hot Zone in high school and then watched Outbreak. Been more or less obsessed with this disease ever since…would prefer to keep it at a more comfortable distance however, as in on another continent.
@xyxax
So that means, since I’m look, that I can’t borrow it?
@Steampunk
Steamy, this raises the question, if an Ebola carrier spits at -30c is he still contagious? I hear winter started up north… down here we’re going to have it spreading like butter on a hot skillet.
@frank
Hey now Texas is just a whole other country
@Rob
I can’t comment on contagion rates at those temps, but the Speedplays might allow for greater phlegm float.
Strange spike in the weather today””windy but ~20-25c. Cleared the deck of morning responsibilities and got out for a couple of hours. Rides bookended by espressi: pas mal!
@Steampunk
I’m more a warm woolen mittens/whiskers on kittens kinda guy – although I use Speedplay
@the Engine
…and frozen white winters that melt into spring classics
@Nate
Fuck YES! Lived in San Antonio for one year and while some might like it (Pharmy) I could not leave soon enough! Austin was actually pretty cool but DAMN I am NOT a Texan (and the Texans were probably just as happy to see my ass move as I was!).
@Steampunk
Ahhh, perfection!
@VeloVita
Ha, I figured. I wish I could say the same regarding my comments about the municipal corruption and broken school district…
You seem pretty familiar with the city. Are you from the area?
@frank
Well, Ebola seems to be settling in down in Texas which, you have to admit, is close to being another continent, if not another planet.
@il muro di manayunk
All that for being in Philly? And there was me thinking that kinda shit just happened in Milwaukee . . . who knew?
Bloody Hell! One more??
Oh well, maybe I can Delgado that one too.
@Steampunk
Which is why it’s so easy to shop for your birthday.
@xyxax
Aww: you remembered!!
@frank
Personally, I haven’t been outside in weeks. Good to have a little bit in Eurmerica to tighten the cremasterics and spur some action over there.
@Rob
Users of Look pedal systems are naturally immune. Decades of hanging around fruit bats, I suppose.
@xyxax
Yes, until it touches our shores we don’t really pay attention but that is a bit touchy feely bout the cremasterics? I mean is it just men who need the slap and tickle to wake up?
In all seriousness, are you involved and will you have to head over?
Back to velotrashing, are you calling me fruity and batty?