Categories: Velominati Super Prestige

Velominati Super Prestige: Le Tour de France, Stage 14

Plateau de Beille has a reputation. It’s long. It’s hard. It’s steep. It’s high. And, because it’s in the Pyrenees, it’s either really hot or really wet.

Although it has only been featured in the Tour four times (1998, 2002, 2004, 2007), it has quickly been placed high on the list of fabled Tour mountaintop finishes for the simple fact that every time the Tour has had a stage finish at the Plateau, the winner of the stage has gone on to win the Tour: Pantani, Amstrong, and Contador have all won here and gone on to win le Grand Boucle. (Of the past winners, Pantani is the only rider whose photo I’m willing to post on a VSP event.)

For those of us who are superstitious, we will, because of this track record, choose the rider whom we hopes will go on to win the Tour. Those of us who are more reasonable might engage in some prognosticating, while others still will inexplicably pick Mark Cavendish or Philbert.

While we traditionally kick off the first intermediate VSP for a Grand Tour on the first mountaintop finish, this time around we waited for this decisive day. The riders have played their cards close to their chest, but surely they will be laid out on the table tomorrow. Get your picks in by 5am Pacific tomorrow morning for the chance to win 3, 2, or 1 points for the podium spots, and 1 point for 4th and 5th places. Good luck.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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View Comments

ramenvelo says:

Jul 15 2011 at 10:22 pm

VSP PICKS:

1. Contador
2. F. Schleck
3. Evans
4. A. Schleck
5. Basso
G'phant says:

Jul 15 2011 at 11:27 pm

Not what I want. Not what I think will happen. A pathetic mixture of the two. A bit like Frandy. Should be a cracker.

VSP PICKS:

1. Basso Profundo
2. Frankenshleck
3. Beefeater
4. Mrs Schleck's Little Boy
5. Dogskype
LA Dave says:

Jul 15 2011 at 11:57 pm

VSP PICKS:

1. Contador
2. Sammy Sanchez
3. Andy
4. Cunego
5. Frank
Leroy says:

Jul 16 2011 at 12:05 am

VSP PICKS:

1. Basso
2. Frank
3. Andy
4. Sanchez
5. Cadel
Roadslave525 says:

Jul 16 2011 at 12:15 am

This is the Plateau de Beielle. Anyone with GC pretentions is going to go for it today... therefore, my top 5 are the same as my (massively reshaped) GC Top 5... I think the Beefeater has to step up today... he has been aiming to peak today, and will have been targetting this stage all along. Basso is just looking mean right now, and will be the only person able to hold his wheel. The other three will lose some... but not much... time to El Chipolata, who no longer looks like he's dancing on the pedals... he's like a fish wriggling / writhing on a hook. If he doesn't deliver today, his tour is over.

VSP PICKS:

1. Contador
2. Basso
3. Schleck, F
4. Evans
5. Schleck, A
Slash says:

Jul 16 2011 at 12:49 am

Frank, you douchebag . . .

" the winner of the stage has gone on to win the Tour: Pantani, Amstrong, and Contador have all won here and gone on to win le Grand Boucle. (Of the past winners, Pantani is the only rider whose photo I'm willing to post on a VSP event.)"

Freakin' self-indulgent, drug abusing Pantani, and you are going stand the line on the claim that somehow, Pantani, was what??? Clearner? No. Stronger? No. More stylish on a bike? No. What then, you douche bag??
CJ says:

Jul 16 2011 at 2:02 am

@Slash

Frank, you douchebag . . .
" the winner of the stage has gone on to win the Tour: Pantani, Amstrong, and Contador have all won here and gone on to win le Grand Boucle. (Of the past winners, Pantani is the only rider whose photo I'm willing to post on a VSP event.)"
Freakin' self-indulgent, drug abusing Pantani, and you are going stand the line on the claim that somehow, Pantani, was what??? Clearner? No. Stronger? No. More stylish on a bike? No. What then, you douche bag??

He doesn't like Armstrong or Contador.
He likes Pantani.
He also likes Ullrich and has been known to praise Virenque.
I don't think it's an objective assessment, just a reaction to percieved personality traits, and yeah, actually, style. Certainly with Armstrong, anyway.
The unfairness of lionising some from the epo era while hating on others has been covered before in these pages, and I don't think Frank is talking along these lines, more opinion (although Frank has been known to smudge the line between fact and shouted, repeated opinion), passion, feeling, you know, cycling fan stuff.
G'phant says:

Jul 16 2011 at 3:31 am

@Slash
Interesting way to introduce yourself to the community. Must be a riot when you move to a new neighborhood. 'Hey, cuntface, trim ya fucking hedge and paint ya fucking house - I don't like them as they are'. Pure class.

But, you know, if there's a website which YOU maintain, feel free to post pictures of what you like there.

VSP PICKS:

1. Basso Profundo
2. Frankenshleck
3. Beefeater
4. Mrs Schleck's Little Boy
5. Dogskype
aleco says:

Jul 16 2011 at 3:52 am

VSP PICKS:

1. A schleck
2. basso
3. f schleck
4. sanchez
5. contador
Scuba Steve says:

Jul 16 2011 at 4:00 am

GO CUDDLES!

VSP PICKS:

1. A Schlecktacular
2. Cuddles
3. Cuntador
4. F Schlecktacular
5. Sanchez