The Monte Paschi Strade Bianchi is happening this Saturday and it is such an interesting race we are putting it into the VSP. The route is a mix of pavement and white marble sectors that roam through the hilly Tuscan country and finishes in the middle of beautiful Sienna. It seems early to me but that is because the Giro had an epic stage on the Strade Bianche in May 2010. The word epic is overused but the wet, grimy Giro stage was compelling, awesome, everything you would want in a race. It was epic.
This race grew out of the immensely popular Eroica retro-sportive. Goggles, mustaches, heavy old bikes, I don’t understand it. It must be like the Civil War enactments in the USA: people are compelled to recreate something, and participate in it to understand it. I’m never going to participate in the Eroica sportive, so I’m never going to understand it. Sweet Merckx a mighty, I’m old enough to never want to ride a bike with a five speed Regina cluster again. Give me Campa 11 with electronic shifting if you must, I’m riding into the future.
Phillipe Gilbert started his reign of terror in 2011 by winning the Strade Bianche and he never stopped. I would not want to bet against him and yet, perhaps he is saving himself for a month from now. His team is stacked with possible winners (a phrase we are going to be over-using this year). Judging from past results the Italians have not had any home road advantage but if Vinny “da shark” Nibali can ride away from everyone in Oman, surely he can do it here. This year’s incomplete start list includes past winners, potential Spring Classic stars and Mark Cavendish. Did I imagine this, the World Champion on the crushed marble roads of Tuscany? Please stay tuned for a more accurate start list.
I will stop further skewing the odds at Lotto, they are all winners aren’t they? Put on your aluminum foil thinking caps, consult the awesome countdown timer which will stop on Saturday morning and be thankful there is not a women’s edition of this race to show the world how little you all know about women’s racing (@cyclops excluded somehow).
I just can’t stop myself from including a bit of wet strade from the Giro.
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@Skinnyphat
Did you click the dispute link next to the ones you disagree with?
@scaler911
Its because you changed your avatar right before a big race.
@frank
Yes I did. Not sure what was supposed to happen. Let me try it again, may have been user error
@Skinnyphat
I think we just forgot to update the results after correcting your pick. I updated them now, so have a look and let me know if its better now.
So, FAIL to BMC for managing to get two riders into the final six, but then placing fourth and fifth? I'm willing to let them off the hook for not finishing first (under Cancellarian circumstances), but shouldn't they at least have got on the podium? Terrific riding by Gatto, by the way.
@nico likewsie. I should get a bonus point for calling Iglinsky
@frank: when you have a moment, like you have nothing else to do, can you look at my scoring. somewhere things don't add up
+1 Steampunk!
Ballan needs to be able to read a route, he blew it at the end by getting off course and dropped off for a while
VanAvermaet rode his guts out for nothing, Ballan
@jarvis and nico, nice pick on iglisky, he rode very well
But Spartacus was a stud today
can you say motordope II
@Steampunk
Agreed. Read something last week (can't remember where, unfortunately) that compared the fates of Garmin and BMC thus far and noted how Garmin has achieved better despite "inferior" talent and speculated it's because BMC has no chemistry/needs to work on their teamwork. Granted, it's very early in the season, but I would have expected more from them thus far - especially in a situation where you have 2 strong riders in a break of 6 and you end up 4/5.