The inaugural Velominati Super Prestige continues the with Tour de France edition, on Saturday July 3rd in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, just kilometers from the start of the Giro d’Italia in Amsterdam (Dutchland is a small country). This will be the second Grand Tour of the series, and at this stage the Grand Tour rules and regulations are fairly well-defined, so take a moment to review them on the VSP Page.
The Tour is, of course, a major event. My personal preference lies with the Giro, but there is no denying the magnitude of the Tour and the appeal it holds. For three weeks, the world pays attention to our sport, and – provided the Tour doesn’t coincide with the World Cup football matches – this is the biggest sporting event during this time of the year. (An interesting observation: the last time these events coincided, the winner was eventually stripped of his title.)
Having run the VSP Giro edition where we tested the ruleset for Grand Tours, we’ve managed to set up a scoring system that seems fair and helps to close down the competition to afford newcomers the ability to catch up with some good picks; the Giro proved that lineup switches and the associated penalties kept the point gains pretty small while allowing strategy to play an interesting role. There is a full overview of the rules and standing at the VSP Schedule, Rules, & Results page, but here is the ten-second overview:
Every contestant is to choose their top five General Classification picks of the race. The final podium of le Grande Boucle is worth 15 points to the winner, 10 points for second, 5 points for third, 3 points for fourth, and 2 point for fifth. Given the effect crashes can have on a tour, we’ve set up some guidelines around making changes to your lineup during the race: you’re allowed to change your lineup if any rider in your pick list drops out for any reason without any penalty; rest days will allow contestants to make changes to their lineup, however those changes will come at a point penalty. (Visit the VSP Schedule, Rules, & Results page for a complete breakdown of these points.)
Every day, the leader in the points standings will have the honor of wearing the Yellow Jersey when posting on the site; the overall winner will wear the Yellow Jersey for the remainder of the season and will also earn an “Obey the Rules” bumper sticker. All reader’s points qualify towards the final prize of the free Velominati Shop Apron. As always, if you are inclined to enter, simply post your predictions for the top five placings.
New to the Tour de France edition is the addition of naming the winner of the Green and Polka-dot jerseys for the Tour. There will be no points awarded towards these two jerseys, but the leader of the competition of these jerseys will have the honor of commenting with a Green or Polka-dot jersey badge throughout the competition and the winner will earn the right to comment with that badge until next year’s Tour. The contestant who picks both the final Green and Polka jersey winners correctly will win a Velominati Logo bumper sticker. Tie-breakers will go to the first contestant who posts their entire lineup (all 5 GC picks plus Green and Polka-dot jersey winners). Given that this sub-competition has no points, pick substitutions will only be granted under the DNF regulations of the VSP; no rest-day substitutions are allowed.
Sub-competitions will be conducted while the Tour is underway for specific stages. These stages will be chosen a few days prior to the stage being held and will be selected based on the current race conditions with the aim of choosing the most decisive and exciting stages of the race, so check back often to make sure you don’t miss out. Sub-competitions will be held in separate editions.
Good luck!
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That was so quick, brett, I wonder if you don't have a file of podium girls pics you don't jack off to nightly.
@david
Easy there cowboy. Baxter was only yesterday.
@david
No, just the one...
@Marcus
There is, though, one strikingly and very obviously, er, pneumatic lass who has shared joint responsibility for donning the white jersey on the welcoming shoulders of Herr Martin (possibly to the disgruntlement of the entirely presentable Mrs Herr Martin (who seemed to be surgically attached to his face while he waited to see if Fabwaffle would snmoke him in the prologue)). I would suggest thhat she is not a natural target of your criticism.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/gesink-to-ride-on-despite-fractured-arm
Well fuck me with a broken carbon stem and call me Baxter - Gesink's reported intention is to do a Farrar and ride on. Outstanding. Sorry, VSP Master, my original picks stand. (For the time being.)
Thor deserves precisely zero respect - there is no point whingeing after the event, he should have told Cancellara to go and fuck himself, sent his Cervelo team - none of whom appear to have come off, by the way, are they on a different programme of bike handling skills - to the front and nailed it. Just like Teams Drugscovery off the passage du Gois in 1999 (average speed in first hour of race, 32.9kph; average speed in the hour after the crash, 46.822kph). Or in this year's Giro on the stage to Montalcino when Nibali crashed.
I don't mean to show a lack of respect to a fellow member of the brotherhood, but I don't understand how your experience is relevant. The groups you take out are trying to complete an exercise (as you put it) "safely as a cohesive group". This is not the point of competitive sport of any kind, let alone professional cycling. The point of which is to beat one another to a pulp.
As for when to wait for your fallen opponents, here's a handy guide. Never.
Having said that, if you are going mano-a-mano in week 3 of the tour in a mountain stage it is permissible (in fact it is the height of gallantry) to wait for your rival who has fallen after being snagged on a spectator's bag. Even if you then get your arse handed to you by a bloke with only one testicle shortly thereafter, you have nonetheless guaranteed yourself a place in history.
Waiting for your team mates is another thing altogether, and if Spoofacus thought that was what was required, he was, of course, entirely free to do so. As were those other members of the peleton who had lost team members to the crash. But each and every team that failed to drill it home thus putting Schlep on the rack is gutless. Isn't that why they let in no hopers like Foobar-Shitvetto and AG2R LoserMondial - those guys had nothing to lose, they should have brought the prisoners dilemma to life. None of them can complain if Schlep finishes above them.
@Nof Landrien
Maybe my point is this: peeps hangin on their couches and in their air conditioned offices puffing up their chests calling people pussies represent unrealistic students of mine who think they can paddle force 6 seas because they know how to put on a spray skirt and do a wet exit. peeps who realize that conditions are such that the only likely outcome is further misadventure and injury and choose to look after their commerades (and even adversaries), even if it virtually stops the contest for a bit, in order preserve integrity and maximize competition down the line may actually be the guys Rule 5ing it.
I know if I were a GC rider who chose to take advantage of yesterday and put 8 or 10 minutes on my rivals I'd have a nagging feeling in the back of my mind telling me I was really the big pussy.
as fans, students, and lovers of the sport we have the right to our opinions. that's a huge part of sport. but yesterday was waaaayyyyyyyy the hell outside the margins of a typical stage in a grand tour. unless you were there it's all too easy to armchair.
who killed Davey Moore, why and what's the reason for?
Am I allowed to say... that was a cool victory salute
Spectacular riding from Grimpeur the Younger. Shame about the Elder; he'll be missed if he's out. Order seems to be restored: Hushovd got his points today, and Cancellara back in yellow. Fabulous ride from Spartacus, too: can we put an end to yesterday's grievances, please? Pulled along a Schleck and decimated the field at the same time. Great stuff. And Hesjedal! Brave riding there, too.
@Nathan Edwards
yes.
@Canarypunk
hear hear. today there was a damn good bike race.
Cool to see Good Cadel show today.