Velominati Super Prestige: Tour de France 2014
Attention all Velominati. The Tour VSP is going on line and it should be a good one. Sure, between Froomy and Bertie a person could hedge their bets but Moviestar is all in for Valverde, BMC for TeeJay, Astana for the Shark and Garmin is finally committing to a team leader in Talansky. Some other teams (ahem…Trek Factory Racing for one) have resigned themselves to hunting stage wins. The Tour swings through the Yorkshire Dales, everyone but the riders can enjoy some excellent ales. As the Tour continues to Lille, Norther France and Belgium, the quality pints continue. Yes, it’s hot and the VSP generator has beer on its mind.
The route, the sprints, the climbing and even the final time trial should make this a decent Tour. Here is a start list. Everyone will have a vial in their jersey pocket, but don’t worry, it’s legal.
It is still not too late to win the overall 2014 VSP and we have made it worth your while.
- First place overall wins a Veloforma Strada iR Velominati Edition frame in addition to the customary VSP winner’s VVorkshop Apron
- Second place overall wins a set of hand built CR Wheelworks Arenberg wheelset in a custom Velominati paint scheme laced to orange Chris King hubs. (CR Wheelworks is Café Roubaix’s new wheel goods brand.)
- Third place overall wins a full Velominati V-Kit with accompanying custom orange Bont Vaypor+ road shoes.
Refer to the VSP page for details concerning scoring and rest day swaps. If you want to call yourself Pedro Delgado, you will only have yourself to blame. The VSP banner on the homepage has the countdown clock, refresh your browser and don’t be late. Good luck and good picking.
[vsp_results id=”30275″/]
VSP PICKS:
1. Froome
2. Contador
3. Rolland
4. Costa
5. Frank
VSP PICKS:
1. froome
2. contador
3. talansky
4. valverde
5. nibali
@oldensteel
Welcome to the clan.
Onwards and upwards:)
VSP PICKS:
1. Froome
2. Contador
3. Talansky
4. Valverde
5. Nibali
Onwards and upwards:)
Froome
Contador
Nibali
Valverde
Bardet
@VeloJello
drop a syringe in the elevator and send it to the 7th floor
Jens Voigt is laying down the V.
Sigh… Delgadoed the biggest race of the year. Good thing my picks have stunk anyway!
Shit just got real at the lap of France. Don’t think Gerro and Cav will be dining together tonight.
Gerrans and Cavendish would have sorted that out! Fucking Coquard clipped Gerrans on the left and caused the crash! But is anyone going to blame the French guy?
What was Cav trying to do? He was on Kittel’s wheel and still had time to make his move. There was no need to go headbutting Gerrans out of the way.
I wonder if a more confident Cav of years past wouldn’t have been so desperate. Shame, I would have loved for him to win today.
@andrew
grrrrrrr, me too. Got home at 9:20 last night and remembered, doh! Oh well.
Nothing broken on Cav according to Lefevere. What time does ‘Merica get to watch the replays. I feel like it would be noice to stay in “non-spoiler” mode until Uncle Sam has his starbucks…
@Kevin
I thought the Coq did well not to let himself be pushed around when Gerrans got shoved by Cavendish, who looked to be going for something that wasn’t there for him. Coq held his line, dodged the crash and went on to finish in the front group. Has anyone heard how Gerrans is after the crash?
From the UK BBC News……
Mark Cavendish dislocated his right shoulder and suffered ligament damage after crashing near the end of the Tour de France’s opening stage in Yorkshire.
The Briton collided with Simon Gerrans during the sprint finish in Harrogate, which was won by Marcel Kittel.
Cavendish was due to have an MRI scan with a decision on whether he will continue racing made on Sunday morning.
“It was my fault, I’ll apologise to Simon. I tried to find a gap that was not there, I wanted to win,” he said.
“I felt really strong and was in a great position to contest the sprint thanks to the unbelievable efforts of my team. Sorry to all the fans that came out to support – it was truly incredible.”
@Teocalli
Well said ‘Douche, got to feel for Gerrans tho’… looked a lot like self sabotage to me, be surprised if he carries on.
Simon is fine, bruising and road rash but says he will be up for a fight tomorrow. He didn’t seem to keen on blaming anyone.
Cavendish out.
Nice job by Navardauskas, slapping camera phones out of silly spectators’ hands…..
Extraordinary experience midst the crowd on Buttertubs yesterday. Mental, crazy, exhilarating fun.
And to top it all Jens Voight.
Heres is a picture from my friend and fellow Harry Middleton CC member, Dan Monaghan
Watching Nibbles on the podium makes me think that the cycling cap is getting farther and farther from centre stage. Ball caps ftl.
@simonsaunders Great Photo
@LIIIXI I think it depends on the team. Gerrans was wearing a proper cap when being interviewed by Eurosport this morning. And if I remember correctly OPQS are doing their best to push proper caps too.
I’m pretty happy Nibali’s taken the maillot jaune – partly because that was a good stage win, but mostly because we no longer have to be subjected to that fucking awful Astana tricolore.
@Tom Mc Nibbles is in form – good for my 3rd place pick!
Gutted for Cav but happily that means he will be back next year on fire to nail down more wins for the record book…
At least Cav admitted he caused that crash and called Gerro and apologized. There was some smooth bike handling going on so only three guys hit the road.
@Harminator
I already have 6 hours recorded on tivo when I get up, and I’m about 11 hours from England so as soon as I open my computer I’m resigned to find out the result before I’ve watched anything. But I’m way out in the middle of the Pacific. Most Amurikans are 6 to 9 hours out. Fuck ’em, if they are on the site, they are asking for it.
@seemunkee
After breakfasting with Robbie McEwan, the temptation was there believe me… All the OGE management (but sadly not the team themselves) were staying in the same hotel as me. Didn’t want to disturb their breakfast… A shed load of the organisers were too. Tip toeing over pep-talks on the corridors of the floor our suite was on was fun!
@simonsaunders Awesome pic, thanks for sharing!
Stage 2 was a blast to watch. What a selection at end w/everyone having a dig in front. And what an attack to wrap it up. I promptly jumped on my bike and took off for long ride on new roads after that finish. Question: What is up with complete absence of Black Widows in the peloton nowadays? Maybe Cav’s shoe covers yesterday were only thing close to black.
Does anyone think that Boonen has a chance at a stage win at the stage with the 15 miles of cobbles? Or will it be time for Froome to deploy a youngster to take Contador oout? Remember Armstrong vs. Mayo?
@Fausto Crapiz
He might, if he was racing on the OPQS TdF team (insert smiley face here)! Maybe you’re thinking of Cancellara? I was blown away by Cancellara’s attack today, good for him and completely unexpected, he could really shake up Stage 5 on the cobbles.
As much as I don’t want to see Froome win the tour and want to see Contador attack, I was not encouraged to see all the Tinkoff-Saxo riders shooting out the back of the peloton on the hills. And all the Team Death Star-Star Troopers (SKY Pro Cycling) at the front protecting Froome.
Oops. Victim of social media misinformation. Had seen Boonen in the OPS lineup, thought it strange, then went on to believe it. (Everything in the internet is true, right………….. right? )
@Teocalli
As much as I’m not a Cav fan, that wasn’t enjoyable to see…
Reported on the BBC today……….
>>>
“Talking of fighting over souvenirs, I heard a tale from the weekend about a bottle cast aside by Jens Voigt. For those of you who don’t know Jensie, he is a legend of the sport, the daddy of the peloton and riding in his last Tour at the age of 42.
After being in the breakaway, he dropped to the back of the peloton. He threw a finished drinks bottle to a young lad on the side of the road which an older gentleman promptly wrestled from him. Jensie saw all this going on, stopped, turned round and retrieved the bottle for the youngster. I so hope that story is true.”
<<<< I also saw yesterday that one of the BMC riders, after taking what he wanted from his musette, pulled over to one side away from the peleton and specifically picked out a young lad and carefully handed it down to him. Nice touch.
@Fausto Crapiz
Maybe, maybe not, but the official start list is posted to the internet(s) on the official TdF website, right?
Just teasin’
What was up with the podium girl in the green dress on Saturday? Didn’t anyone explain her duties to her? Look pretty, apply lipstick and kiss the winners. I mean, she had the opportunity to kiss Marcel of the amazing hair and Jens of the amazing legs! None of this, just cold fish handshakes. What’s up with that? And who were the two podium boys who were hanging around? Did they miss their plane to the Giro Rosa? Clearly Hinault is getting soft in his old age and not tossing interlopers off the podium.
Awesome win by Nibbles yesterday BTW. He raced smart, took a chance and capitalized on the others’ hesitancy. Pity Fabs’s similar move didn’t pay off on Saturday.
Bummed for Cav. I like the guy and I think he was just too desperate for the win and took risks he might normally have avoided. He’s also out of the Commonwealth Games too. Maybe he’ll be fit for the World Champs?
@Teocalli
Merckx, I hope those stories are true. What kind of douche wrestles with a kid for a bottle, gets it and keeps it? Jens = legend.
@wiscot
The second is definitely true as I saw that one on the TV.
@wiscot
The thing is the girls would have been English. Now the southern English don’t do cheek kissing stuff it’s the air kiss 12 inches away from each other’s cheeks. Now the girl in question was probably a Yorkshire lass, now oop noorth the thought of getting close to a stranger, let alone THAT sort of bodily contact………yech.
Decided at dawn to drive the 100k from Bruges to Orchies to ride some stones and check out options for spectating Stage 5. Yesterday’s pissing rain has disappeared. Its blue skies and only slight winds from the south. I have virtually no experience on cobbles and no knowledge of the area so expect to spend some time “exploring”. I have a photo on my phone of the route map and I can see my shadow…
The good people of Orchies (probably the Pig Committee) have generously marked the route through town. I love those guys. I find Sector V after V minutes on the bike – no warmup and 1400 gives the quads that Itburns feeling. (Shout out to our fallen brother). The stones are clean and dry but rough as hessian undies. Somewhere will bin it here for sure, but with no CVV riding I expect Tejay to keep the tradition going.
I find the end of Sector IV after missing the entrance. I ride it up to the start (2400m) then back down. I have little experience in riding this “surface” but find pushing a slightly spinnier gear works better for me. But Merckx, the hands! There is slightly less jarring than Orchies but the sector is longish with a couple of corners and a variable mix of stones – hard to settle into a rhythm. Fabs will attack here. Its only something like 20k to the finish and the lightweights will be feeling the pressure.
I repeat my performance on Sector III – missing the entrance and finding the end. Penalty lap. The stretch is 1400m and I burn a few matches on the way back to Warlaing cos I can. The roadmakers are evil. When the stones get smooth they make the gaps bigger. Fuck its fun. Fabs will hold steady here, gauging the strength of the wheelsuckers.
The tarmac is sweeter than ever through to the start of the Wandignies-Hamage secteur. The stones are equally awful and sweet for the full 3700m. It the GC isn’t seriously shaken up before now, it soon will be. Froomy might break a wrist if he’s been skipping his full cream milk. Fabs will go clear. I’m halfway savouring the moment and wishing it would end. To cap it off there’s a railway crossing in the last 100 metres. I sneak through a red light thinking about the 2006 Paris Roubaix debacle.
As I make my way back to Orchies I can’t resist the lure of more stones. Through the last sector to Orchies I can barely manage 22kph and my hands are hurting in ways I never knew they could. I’ve only ridden 65k but the 18k of cobbles has left me jarred and aching…for more. Maybe.
Honestly, I wonder how the pros don’t have tendinitis so badly that they can’t hold the handlebars. I get it with only my tiny bit of riding.
Bummer that Cavendish is gone. Another character gone. And Jens gone next year….. about to cry.
@Harminator You’ve got a V Moment nomination right there.
Went to the start today in Cambridge, as I live there. Decided my lack of a wristband wouldn’t stop me getting to the Trek bus- I had a copy of our staff magazine to get to Matthew Busche as he was on the front of it. We make Trek’s carbon and resin. Anyway,
Spartacus!
more #dirtyshlecklove
Cancellara doesn’t just have a custom bike, he has a custom SRM power meter. I’m sure some of you are dissapointed to see that he doesn’t ride on just V-meter
Oh, and if you MUST get a selfie with a rider do it when then’re not riding, yeah? Thank’s Matt Busche!
(Cap is a Stage 3 special Edition from This Is Cambridge cycling caps, top is Cambridge Cycling Club- we were encouraged to make sure our colours were everywhere!)
@Harminator
Great post, I love this bloody stuff!
@Al__S same again, this is the real deal no media releases here, thanks guy’s.
I’d like to claim my day of “secure” zone infiltration and then drinking in the park is comparable to @harminator’s recce ride, but really, hats off to him.
Yorkshire rocked. The weather was outstanding, the set up was near faultless and the people were amazing.
We watched the first few hours of stage 1 on the big screen in the fan park before heading down the route to find a vantage point. Eventually found a spot stood on a wall in hedge 1200m out from the finish. OPQS looked great going through but then we heard mutterings of a crash involving Cav. The mobile network was so overloaded that there was no way of getting anymore details though.
On day two we headed out into the hills with a vague idea of where to go and ended up parking within 200m of the course at Oxenhope. The velonippers had fine time grabbing swag from the caravan before the race came through. It isn’t easy taking steady video with a 9 yo on your shoulders frantically ringing a cowbell.
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The eldest also went to cambridge today and ended up chatting with Brailsford and Eisel.
@Chris Fab!