Velominati Super Prestige: Paris-Tours 2015
Paris-Tours, it’s almost the end of the road for the V-VSP. The great smoggy race in China has been switched to the Middle-East? I’m not sure that is an improvement but as usual, we were not consulted. Race where the money is.
Every year I bring up Richard Virenque winning this race. I disliked his racing style but his Paris-Tours win showed such an abundance of panache he should be dining out forever on that. The climber winning a sprinters race in a day long break with Jack Durand. Durand ran out of gas with 50 km left and Richard did not sit up, he cranked it. His desperate win, just in front of the chasing hoards, almost undid all his bullshit bravado and most unforgivable of all, his finish line victory salutes. He was riding for Domo-Farm Frites in 2001 when he won Paris-Tours, on a nice Merckx bike, on a Belgian team. It’s fitting he should give such a beautiful performance.
OK, this is the penultimate event for VSP 2015. Is the overall lost for you? Bragging rights for the off-season would be swell, just winning this final men’s VSP. Are you close to grasping a V-kit, a set of CR wheels or a Belgian frame? Good luck because picking the top five in this race requires staring at the sun. Here is the start list. A Delgado here will be noted by management.
After the Women’s Chrono des Nations on 18 October the mighty VSP generator will be powered down and steam cleaned of all residual beer. The generator is then air dried and purged with lab grade argon and sealed, its little silicon heart faintly beating, waiting for La Primavera.
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@the Engine
Nooo! It’s too soon to break up the bunch. We need to work together…
@Minnesota Expat
Ooh. That’s some strategery right there. Best of luck!
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I can’t actually imagine a race where this order would play out but this glass of Wild Turkey tastes better than the last three…
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@Harminator
Perfect preparation for a ride. Take pictures.
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Nacer deserves to win something this year.
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@Steampunk
Yes. He is finishing the season in form. He’s a had a couple wins lately and looks like he has real potential. I hadn’t been tracking him until he won Wallonie.
Most everyone’s picking Bouhanni to win, not much change to the VSP, but picking Debusschere is shaking it up and a “go for the win” pick. It’s an attack. Chapeau!
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Benoot is a great cycling name. Should have put him in.
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@Minnesota Expat
Bouhanni’s probably the right pick. But I can also see Cofidis having to chase the breakaway because nobody will work with them.
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my legs are not that good this year and a few kg too many, so I decided against racing
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Saw a tweet saying Nizollo already crashed out of Paris-Tours. Bummer.
@xyxax
@the Engine
That worked out well…
Well done Trentin. Van Avermaet will be having nightmares of flats and motos. Tough season for him.
Lotto Soudal with three in the top ten—and Gallopin and Debusschere weren’t among them. These kids could have a storming spring in 2016.
Well that’s a wrap for the VSP 2015! @Minnesota Expat takes home a custom-built Jaegher, @Steampunk takes a second set of Cafe Roubaix/Velominati wheels, and @Yagerbomb takes home a V-kit and will be allowed to choose between the classic V-Kit and the yet-to-be-announced VLVV V-Kit.
Thanks all for playing; we’ll have some exciting changes for next year as well, see you in 2016!
@Steampunk
Missed it by 4 points!
@Minnesota Expat
Great season! You really had them bearing down on you in the final few kilometers – way to hold off the @Steamy!
@frank
No Chrono des Nations this year? It’s on the calendar.
@LeoTea
Ah fucksticks. Scratch all that then, indeed it is!
@frank
Let’s call that a Teruel, for celebrating a lap early, eh?
Ha!
@frank So. I have to do another lap? Harsh.
@Steampunk
Brilliant. I was just looking at their procycling stats. Young and strong team. Good tip. Are there any transfers out? Will definitely keep them on the radar.
@Minnesota Expat
No transfers that I know of. I suspect the team will be a year older and quietly stronger. They’re not as rich as ETixx, but I like the Belgian development approach, I like the kit, and I like the bikes. Greipel and Gallopin are always dangerous, but I’d bet on Benoot, Wellens, etc., coming good over the spring classics. I’d take the over on four podiums at the major European races before the end of April. The kids are going to be good.
@frank
…further proof than no one reads the article.
@Gianni
Indeed. Including the Keepers. Spoiler alert: I only read my own articles. And I only read those some of the time. I come here for the posts.
Well I’ll be damned. Victory in Paris-Tours doesn’t make up for my otherwise terrible VSP 2015 but I’m thankful to end the season with a win. I had a good feeling about young Sig. Trentin and I’m happy for him.
Congratulations to the VSP 2015 podium (the lucky bastards) and thanks to the Keepers and sponsors for the fun.
Congrats to the VSP winners and thanks to Jaegher and Cafe Roubaix for the awesome prizes. Fan Duel and the other NFL fantasy gambling site can kiss my ass. (Isn’t it funny how they call it fantasy and not gambling but there’s real hard cash money involved, not monopoly money?). I’ll be hitting the books over the winter to improve my chances next year.
Good lord, another VSP race missed. I need to do some serious training over the winter, I was in awful form this year!
@Ron
Make that two of us, Ive got to stop letting work and family life and kids get in the road of serious research and internet time. My schedule from now on will consist of Breakfast, Ride, Lunch, Ride, Tea, VSP picks, Sleep, in no particular order.
From being in the hunt until late in last years VSP to absolutely shit this year, my graph is definately trending in the wrong direction.
My report card, and I assume yours, would read : ” Plays well with others, but must try harder in lesson time “
Shoot, I was in Rome for a couple of days and the closest I got to cycling was a celeste Bianchi commuter I saw through a window
Those Romans were hardmen and knew how to throw stones out of a helicopter
. Even the pistachio gelato is not celeste anymore. Hang on, not true, there was some sort of a race that must have taken place there, many guys wearing green campagnolo jerseys, many of them not matching well with their bibs’ colours btw, how very un-Italian. And the roads; you should consider doing cobblestones in Rome.