This needs no introduction. The Spring Classics are truly upon us. The course has been modified yet again, it is tougher? The riders make the race and the 2014 Ronde van Vlaanderen is loaded with racers who could win or make the Velominati VSP placings. Just to pick the winner will not be nearly as easy as it has been recently. There are small clouds hanging over Boonen and Cancellara, neither have had a dominant run up to this race, nor has Sagan. Boonen’s team is extremely strong, other teams would kill to have Quick Step’s plan B and plan C.
As always, the Ronde and Roubaix sort out who is the strongest. The final burn up Oude Kwaremont and the Paterburg will hopefully kill any chance for a sprint finish, but if it comes down to a sprint, it shall be awesome. As always, we shall be praying for rain on the Koppenberg and maybe a quick view of a friend drinking a Malteni on the Kwaremont. Here is a provisional start list. So do your Belgian beer shopping, make sure your counter-top frite deep fryer won’t burn down your home and then and only then, contemplate your VSP picks. If you Delgado this you may be cut off for the rest of 2014, because you suck.
The points from the Men’s RVV count towards the overall prizes plus the winner of this event also gets to post for the rest of the year in the Lion of Flanders badge. So review the VSP Scoring Guidelines and get your picks in by the time the countdown clock goes to zero at midnight PDT on Sunday the 30th. If you think we mapped one of your picks wrong, use the dispute system and we’ll review it. Also remember to be precise enough in your description so we know which rider you mean; in other words, if you enter “Martin”, we will use our discretion (read: wild guess) to decide if you mean Tony or Dan – and that choice will not be negotiable once the the countdown clock goes to zero, so be sure to give yourself enough time.
Don’t forget we’ve got three major prizes for the season-long VSP:
Good luck, have fun with it, and don’t lose your Rule #43 spirit.
[vsp_results id=”29425″/]
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View Comments
@KW
I've only followed pro-cycling intensely since the 2013 San Remo, but that win was obviously the result of athletic maturity and tactical smarts forged on the anvil of experience. You want to see new stars emerge, and the sport needs young talent to grow (especially now), but then you find something like this...
The internet never forgets.
Your shout Fab's!
Thanks to Drunkcyclist.com's FB page
Wasn't Devolder thought to be washed up quite recently? Now he appears to be the hardest of Hardmen in the Belgian Peloton. Fucking ace.
And, did anyone else see that he motorpaced home from G-V behind his father. "Oh yeah, I just lead out Cancellara, then I ride my bike home to me Olds house for a bit of a rest."
The photo of his elbow was insane.
@dobritch
Is this from the Ronde? If so, then it proves that he did in fact switch his helmet, which the announcers on Eurosport pointed out. They thought he might have been doing some tactical trickiness. He finished in a regular Bontrasher road helmet, in this photo he's in an aero road helmet.
Also, that photo of GvA...I don't think these guys tough a whole bunch of weights, so to be in that type of shape is fucking impressive. I've seen a photo like this of Stijn D. Must be the same calendar of naked Belgian cyclists to keep the Euro ladies topped up through the long, cold winters...
Photos from the Ronde (women and men). Not worth a fraction of Pedale's work, but hey.
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