Velominati Super Prestige

Velominati Super Prestige: Ronde van Vlaanderen 2012

The Keepers and Rigid rolled into a region in France called Flandres which, without doing any further research into the matter, we assume is the coloquial French term for this region of the world. If its anything like the other regions in Europe, these places have roots that extend way past any modern country’s border and situate themselves in a history long past.

They do, however, speak French with all the stubbornness that we have come to love from the French. None of us in the group speak French very well, and no one we’ve found in Lille speaks English very well. Which means we’re all communicating with arms and legs more so than with words. We’re on our way to Kemmel, which means we’ll be able to speak a bit of Flemish again.

With Keepers Tour: Cobbled Classics 2012 about to begin in earnest, we’re busy organizing ourselves and making final preparations, so we’ll have to forgo the usual insightful, hard-hitting, race insight we usually produce for the VSPs. What’s that you say? We’re usually full of shit? Ah, right. You’ll have to forgive us the usual shit, then, and take today’s flavor.

Watch the countdown timer, get your VSP picks in by Sunday morning at 5am Pacific. Winner of this VSP event will earn the right to comment all year with the Leeuw van Vlaanderen commenting badge. We will also forgo the usual Symbol Pack prize awarded to a Monument and award the winner a copy of the local newspaper the day after the race.

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289 Replies to “Velominati Super Prestige: Ronde van Vlaanderen 2012”

  2. you shouldn’t actually even try to speak English in Lille/Rijsel. They get mad at you!

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Der Fabs
    2. Tommeke
    3. ex-model Matti
    4. La Machine
    5. Pippo

  4. Now he is back on Specialized Boonen can use the motor in the frame and roll Canc on the line……

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Tornado Tom
    2. Fab Can
    3. Matti B
    4. Sylvain Chavanel
    5. Van Marcke

  7. On my way to Eurostar terminal to head to Lille… So excited… With Millar out with his useless collarbone, my wildcard pick is out the window… Fab and Tommeke rip the field to pieces, Tommeke gets dropped on the last climb a la 2010, Flecha can no longer cut it so Geraint is free to ride… But sadly is out powered by Sagan, and outsmarted by Devolder in the final sprint… Where is the Muur? Where is the Bosberg?… So sad

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Spartacus
    2. Boonen
    3. Sagan
    4. Devolder
    5. Super G

  9. Supposedly this is the last day of the unseasonably warm weather in the UK so I’m going out on my bike to think about my VSP picks and make some vitamin D while working on my tan lines. This week has been better than most summers days, just lovely.

    It should also take my mind of the lucky Velominati over in Flanders.

  11. This is the easiest one to pick yet, which means I’ll be totally wrong.

    VSP PICKS:

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

  13. I don’t even care if Boom Boom doesn’t win, because he’s sooo dreamy

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Boonen
    2. Don’t care
    3. Daylight
    4. Cartman
    5. Timmeehhhh!!!

  15. VSP PICKS:

    1. Boonen
    2. Cancellara
    3. Hushovd
    4. Hincapie
    5. Gilbert

  18. Bugger, Geraint not named in Sky squad… Flecha it is, then

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Cancellara
    2. Boonen
    3. Sagan
    4. Devolder
    5. Flecha

  22. VSP PICKS:

    1. Vanmarcke
    2. Ballen
    3. Kurt Douglas
    4. Boonen
    5. Breschel

  24. I’ve been watching so many of the races that I’m starting to lose track & is isn’t even April! Did Sep win at K-B-K? No, that was Omloop. Who won…? This is not a complaint though!

    In the past few years the V-Bug has bitten me hard, which is why I’m a pretty darn good cyclist, and not the best graduate student. It has been fun, but time to focus. With a wedding on the horizon, I’d like to finish a full draft by mid-June. Yesterday for the first time in a long time I put in a full day of work, then squeezed in an hour of riding at 20:30. It felt GREAT, not only to stretch my legs after a day at the desk, but to still be able to ride & to ride knowing I’d worked on my most important form, the one that will pay the bills. So long free days, hello life of the time crunched cyclist. Oh well, have even more than two months to be ready for cross racin’!

    This is going to be a fantastic two weeks of racing! Tough to call this weekend. Is Cancellara on form or off? What about BMC and Thor, Phil, and Taylor? Is there any type of race Sagan can’t be positioned to win? Will Boonen continue to ride for all wins or save his legs for a historic P-R win next week? Maybe support Chavanel, who is looking fine.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Cancellara
    2. Boonen
    3. Sep VM
    4. Sagan
    5. Hushovd

  25. VSP PICKS:

    1. Tom Boonen
    2. Fabian Cancellara
    3. Stijn Devolder
    4. Alessandro Ballan
    5. Sylvain Chavanel

  26. VSP PICKS:

    1. John Degenkolb
    2. Stijn Devolder
    3. Philip Gilbert
    4. Bram Tankink
    5. Sylvain Chavanel

  27. Once again, I hope that I am wrong and Tomeke wins it!

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Sparticus
    2. Tommeke
    3. Pozatto
    4. Van Avermaet
    5. Breschel

  32. Dammit! Spartacus has to win sometime. I’m thinking (not hoping) that Tommeke runs into some bad luck and Sylvain takes his place at the front.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Faboo
    2. Chavanel (Sylvain)
    3. Sagan
    4. Goss
    5. Boss Hogg

  33. Surely RSN will find a way to give Faboo SOME support in this race, right Johan????

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Cancellara
    2. Pozzato
    3. Boonen
    4. Sagan
    5. Breschel

  37. Here we go again, same names in the frame; maybe we are all wide of the mark and it’ll be Matty Goss??

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Boonen
    2. Cancellara
    3. Sagan
    4. EBH
    5. Vanmarcke

  38. VSP PICKS:

    1. Cancellara
    2. Boonen
    3. Breschel
    4. Sagan
    5. Chavanel

  39. The finish is too long and straight for a solo break. A sprint of 5-8 select riders will contest this in a sprint, meaning no place Cancellara.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Boonan
    2. Sagan
    3. Breschel
    4. Pozzato
    5. Vanmarcke

  40. @Marshy
    Cancellara is quite a sprinter and we’re talking about Flanders here. After such an approach there are indeed not many left, meaning no one can give chase when Cancellara goes.

  41. Goss is no chance. Haussler has not even looked like threatening. Faboo is due. Tomeke has the form. BMC are overdue, but who? The weather reports ambiguous. The pave will claim a couple, other will be unlucky.
    So clearly that means…

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Spartibus
    2. Hookers and Blow
    3. Stuey
    4. Westra
    5. Phast Phil

  43. 2008 and 2009 Devolder won, 2010 Cancellara won, 2007 Ballan won. 2007 was in a sprint a deux with Leif Hoste.

    The route is more difficult. My guess is solo.

  45. VSP PICKS:

    1. Cancellara
    2. Boonen
    3. Vanmarcke
    4. Gilbert
    5. Sagan

  50. With the race calendar seemingly getting longer every year, when do the PROs really find time to train & improve on weaknesses? I know they probably ride 345 out of 365 days a year & some use races to improve. And they have the winter training camps with their teams.

    I also know most of them have been riding & honing their form for years, ten, twenty even. And they target races that suit them. Maybe riding some early in the calendar, then shut it down for awhile, then pick up for the Giro or TdF.

    But say you are supposed to be a Classics contender and a week ago you were just coming up empty & not feeling it.

    Do you put in a hard week of training? Do you ride, but at say 85% to try and get stronger but not blow your legs?

    I guess all riders, their bodies, legs…and MINDS are different. I know for me when I got near the top in my sport the mental aspect was huge! Self-belief, dealing with a negative coach or one with a totally different philosophy, that was all as important as my physical form & skills.

    Guess I’m just trying to get some discussion injected into the pickin’ & repickin’ that is going to happen between now and Sunday morning. And, always looking to learn more about how the peloton does it.

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