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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@Netraam
This!
Goddammit!! bollocks!
@paolo
Can't watch that in my country. Which is weird, never had that kind of problems before.
If anyone wants to see the link you have to use the little side bar "recent posts".
I don't know why...I'm sure Frank does.
@mcsqueak
I have never understood that one - ever. I only know its Peter Sagan because the code I wrote to automatically map the riders whenever possible is able to figure it out, even though I'm not. Computers are cool.
@Chris
Is this a joke? Most of these riders have retired, yes? I mapped them as N/A, so dispute them and tell me whats up if I've missed something. They're not in database anyway, not that that means anything. We use the UCI's list as our base and it's grossly incomplete.
@frank
Sorry, yes they're all a bit past it now but were in the Linda McCartney Team. I was going to swap them out when Gianni posted a complete start list. That's acetone fumes for you.
I am really feeling that Gobbles has other fish to fry this year - he may win because he's one of those guys who tries to win every race he starts, but I feel his goals lie elsewhere. I base this on a loudly spoken guess, which is almost as impressive as an actual fact.
Sagan, on the other hand, is really knockin' on the door and I think he's due for a race like this. Kreutziger is sitting on the start list, just begging to be included in the list, so I'll do it. Ballan - ugliest man alive - is always there and isn't really good enough to be able to focus on one even or another the way the biggest names can.
Moser's just a cool fuckin' name and I want him in my list. As for Hope of a Nation - he's just too fun to leave off, and did an amazing ride on the cobbles before. When no-one is looking, that kid can pull out a race.
VSP PICKS:
1. Billions and billions
2. Kreutziger
3. Ballan
4. Moser
5. Hope of a Nation
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Hesjedal
3. Sagan
4. Nibali
5. Gilbert
@Chris
No worries - the start list has been updated, by the way. Or you could have gone on the interwebs and found it, eh?