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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For me this tour was more exciting than the last few years. The controversy of the first few stages coupled by the action in the alps provided for great viewing and talking points. The dropped chain will be debated by cycling fans for years to come. It was poignant that Berti beat the Grimplet by the exact time he gained on that stage. In my opinion though you can't read too much into that. If Grimplet hadn't dropped the chain the timegaps would have been different and the race up the Tourmalet wouldn't have seen Berti stick to the Grimplets wheel like superglue.
Next year will be interesting with the Brothers Grimplet on their own team. Who from Saxobank will defect across and how strong will they be compared to this years Saxo team. Astana were stronger than most would have cared to give them credit for before the tour started. Is Berti sticking with Astana next year?
I feel sorry for the Giro as I'm sure that once again the GC favourites will be bypassing it to be fresher for the tour. As the italians say the Tour is the bigger race but the Giro is the most beautiful.
@Jarvis
Oh, I agree. But I think one of the problems was that the Tour lacked the organized chaos of the Giro. On the one hand, this had to do with better teams, but it also had to do with the attrition rate in the early going. The Tour would have been a lot more interesting"”and less conservative"”if Lance hadn't crashed twenty-seven times, if Cuddles hadn't broken his elbow, if Grimplet the Elder hadn't crashed out, etc. Between the crashes and the Alps, the conclusion was more or less sorted by the first Alps stage. Schleck lacks the explosive climbing speed of Contador, but he claims he accelerated fifteen times on the way up the Tourmalet. It was some impressive riding, giving that he kept turning the screws, rather than just trying to blow him out of the water. As for Contador, do you blame a guy for doing what he needs to do to win? He didn't need to win the stage; he just had to finish with Schleck. Conservative, but mission accomplished.
@Canarypunk
Interestingly, the attrition rate this year was less than in recent years - albeit that those affected were the likes of Cuddles, Grimpeur Senior, Armstrong and Farrar, rather than also-rodes, and they were generally affected reasonably early on.
The drama of the cobbled and Stockheus stages was amazing. Of course we all wonder whether the price paid for the early drama was less drama later on. But it's very hard to answer that question. We could argue for ages over exactly how the race might have turned out without those stages (or Chaingate, or Renshaw's exclusion, or BigTex's crash, or ...). But I am not sure I see much to be gained from all of that. It is imponderable. As Bertie says, it's not like mathematics.
What I'd like to do, instead, is remember three weeks of high drama and some great riding, with tension a-plenty. That Tourmalet stage was fantastic stuff. Sure, it might've been even better if it involve true mano-a-mano, rather than Bertie limpetting the Grimplet. But I am not sure I would've been able to cope with that level of excitement. And maybe it wouldn't have been better anyway. Maybe Bertie would've smoked ther Grimplet. Imponderable. Not maths.
At the end of the day I've been fixated for three weeks, I've seen some amazing stuff, I feel quite bereft that it's over, and I'm looking forward to the next one.
Oh, and I'm currently on the VSP podium.
I'm happy.
@Geof
You're right. I was surprised how many finished the Tour. Of course, a number crossed the line as wounded warriors, and there did seem to be a number of bigger names going down. I must admit I enjoyed the Tour very much even if the Pyrenees lacked the fireworks we expected. After such a great Giro and Tour, the Vuelta has its work cut out.
On a down note, Cuddles, Basso, Sastre, and Wiggo were poor, and Menchov was bad last year and silently good this year. I worry that the big names will look past the Giro and diminish its standing, which would be a shame because that was one hell of a race this year. Am I right in thinking that Vino"”at 16th"”is the highest ranked GC rider who also rode the Giro? And only he and Gadret finished in the top twenty? Not a good sign for folks hoping to be competitive in the Tour. Just thinking out loud...
Jens: "It's the 13th time I enter Paris after a long and tiring Tour de France and I have the exact same feeling every single time: goose bumps. It's a goose bump situation. Last year I wasn't able to go all the way with the guys but this year, I would have done the final stage on a three-wheeled bike to cross the finish line with my friends."
Legend - despite the jocular flirtation with recumbent riding.
I nominate "goose bump situation" for the Lexicon.
I still don't understand why people thought the Tourmalet stage was so good. The first Tourmalet stage could have been good if the race hadn't sat up after the first hour. Thought it was going to end up like a Giro stage. The second Tourmalet stage was just tedious and most people would have predicted how it panned out. Yes, it was impressive riding, but it wasn't exciting.
I've got theories that might explain why tactics were as they were and why racing has become about the final climb of a Tour and nothing else. But I also have four week-old twins so don't have the time to go into it. I was going to say, go and read the Sports Scientist Blog and see what you come up with, but having just been there for the link and read the latest article about Dr Ferrari, it's spelt out there clearly. Cleaner racing will be less exciting...
But does that mean that tactics have to be so predictable that an idiot like me could come up with them?
@Steampunk
Re: racing the Giro and the Tour. You say that the "big names" will probably overlook the Giro in favour of the tour again, but that begs a few questions:
Firstly, just who are the "big names" now? Let's take a look:
Berti: it will be interesting to see if he doubles up Grand Tours again in the future. If he's into challenges and the record books - what he's done so far would suggest he knows where he is now and how to make his mark on the sport - he may well feel it's worth it just to prove a point
Grimplet: he will clearly target the Tour and the expense of everything else and Grimpeur the Elder next year. The new team might not be able to support a Giro entry anyway.
Cuddles: depending on how he felt his form was before the crash I will imagine will dictate whether he goes back to the Giro, or saves it for the tour and uses the Vuelta as a back-up.
That's it. There are no big names with any pedigree left in the peloton who have shown they are still able to get a result in the Grand Tours.
The rest:
Birillo: irrespective of his illness, he was only just going to scrape a top-10
Invisible Denis: will clearly know that he isn't able to beat Berti or Grimplet and as the tour doesn't start in the Netherlands next year will be able to go back to riding the Giro
Dirty Sanchez: will aim for the podium
Syrup: Unless the route is far easier than this year will not be solely targetting the tour again - as he has already indicated. Sky may well be looking at Lokvist or Gerrans for next year anyway while developing their British GC contender - look for Peter Kennaugh to be in next years race.
Bottle/Eggtimer: don't make me laugh. Clearly the Astana/Bruyneel old-boy's club were some recovery medicine short of a result this year
Grimpeur the Elder, Nibali, VDB2: still haven't proved themselves in grand tours
Can-he-go: can't go
Krueziger, Gay-sink: can't time-trial
Garmin: It' doesn't matter who rides the Giro for them, they will provide another top-10 finish with whomever hasn't crashed
Sastre: no longer has the ability/will to win
2. Perhaps the Italians will look at Basso and decide that staying at home is preferable to riding the Tour, they might at least get a result
3. Did the Giro really lose out by not having the "big names" there?
@Jarvis
You forgot Valverde - he will be able to race in Italy by then won't he? He should be a definite starter given he can't go anywhere else!
You sound very angry. Just enjoy the cycling.
@Marcus
not angry. Tired, yes, but not angry. Disappointed in how Schleck/Saxo Bank rode with a lack of adventure.
Further to this, something myself and my velomihottie came up with seperatly, is that if you want to draw the inference that this was again a cleaner tour, then as teams get the hand of this "clean racing" so to will they become less conservative in their tactics.
Valverde won't be back in Italy. He'll be back in 2012, his two-year ban was worldwide from the beginning of this year, the Italian ban was separate.
Crashd'emish is a COTH. But he is a very, very, very fast COTH.
Stage racing encourages defensive riding. You are very rarely - if ever - left in the last throw of the dice situation as in one day races where aggression at the right moment can make all the difference. But you can't criticise the Tour for not being a spring classic.