Velominati Super Prestige: Tour de France
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!
Mini-contest? I say Armstrong solos to the win on Stage 12, Bourg-de-Peage->Mende, raising his arms at the finish at the Montee Laurent Jalabert. Irony also wins the day.
We get to swap out the Texan free of charge? Cool. Out he goes. In comes Smokin Roman Kreuziger. (Toyed with Basso. But he didn;t look “serene” to me on the way pu to Avoriaz, and Smokin Roman is almost a minute up on him.) Revised picks accordingly:
1. Alberto Can’tbreathecozofthepollendore
2. Grimpeur Junior
3. Gesink, R
4. Toleraby Good Cadelephant
5. Smokin Roman
@frank
Swapping Pharmy for free? I don’t think so! The crashes never put him out of contention, they didn’t help him, but he was a shot duck anyway and just gave up. Lack of the good drugs and old age conspiring to show that there really are no miracles.
@Scott
Maaaate – how can you “fukkin hate Evans”? Granted, he is a little different and may not play like the other children, but you are being a bit harsh ain’t you?
Let it be recorded that I proudly wore my “Don’t Stand on My Dog” t-shirt to work yesterday. And I found out that this was a jersey very difficult to explain to non-cyclists. Hate in cycling should really only be reserved for the likes of personalities like Cav, COTHO and I can even understand people hating Our Little Bogan from the GC (that’s Gold Coast, not the other GC), Robbie McEwen.
Take a long hard look at yourself. You bring infamy to your maillot jaune with that uncharitable comment sir!
@Marcus
Well said, @Marcus. The man is as hard as nails – grinding up the hill in a bigger ring than anyone else – so what if hwe can’t accelerate like a f#$%in gazelle. The dog just grinds it out – 5, count it 5 smashed collar bones, 3 on left, 2 on right, his left brake hood is 2 cm higher on bars than the right as his sholder is now shorter on that side and this is the only way to get his hips straight.
I don’t understand the critism the man gets – sure his press demeanour is abbraisive, he is introverted not showy, but the man can ride. Respect.
@brett
You know what? You’re right. The crashes didn’t put him out of contention, his lack of gunpowder did. My earlier statement is retracted. No free COTHO swaps. I’ll assume everyone still wants them made, let me know if you don’t. 2-point penalties apply.
And really, there was only one real ‘crash’, which was his own fault. The first one was when Cadel went down too, no major problem for both to get back on, then the last he simply ran into the back of other dropped riders, unclipped and stood there like a spoilt kid whose milk just got spilled.
@frank
Given I had Lance in 5th place, there’s not much point in my taking a two-point hit to replace him. Even if Cadel falls to 5th, I still lose a point. Leave me with Lance. Thanks.
@Kermitpunk
Roger that, mate.
Dutch fans at their best:
@crossy
I’ll give you that, but I find the same thing that I had when I watched Ullrich. Really? Hey, here’s a surprise! A climber attacked and rode away from you! Why not use a slightly smaller gear? I mean, does Cadel even have a front dérailleur? From the looks of it, he did the Zoncolan in the 53×17.
No doubt, though, he is much more respectable now that he’s not yelling about his dog. And good on him for making a shirt out of that. Way to turn that around. I’m really happy for Good Cadel. Good on him.
@frank
Like Kermitpunk, I picked the Texan for 5th. Too much of a crap shoot to pick 5th if it costs, so I’ll stick with him at 5th and ask you to ignore #500. Thanks.
Rest day frivolity via La Gazzetta:
Check out Roger Kluge’s Rule Violations(tm) – granted he’s A) a Milram rider in the mountains B) it was hot enough to boil milk and C) he looks pretty banged up
@frank
Think it might not be so much about Cadel’s gearing and more about his overall look on the bike – his posture is a bit ungainly and when it comes to whether he looks like he is trying, he ain’t exactly Lady Gaga with a poker face (surely there is something for the Lexicon there Brett?). And he has always been a diesel rather than a true grimpeur. Still, I believe we will see something special from him on a stage or two – he likes the Pyrenees more than the Alps.
Phil Anderson spoke of it the other night on the Oz coverage. He said something like, “I used to think that I looked bad on the bike, but Cadel looks worse.” That being said, Cadel’s TT position is the coolest (ie lowest) of anyone.
For your dog t-shirt go to:
http://www.cadelevans.com.au/product.aspx?id=5
Shows he can take the piss out of himself (and make a few bucks on the side).
@ben
Huge violation! Only Cipo can go sleeveless.
And is it the light or has he stolen a helmet from a Liquigas rider?
One more via this excellent Avoriaz post at La Gazzetta:
He…almost…appears…human.
@ben
I’m really starting to think I need to get me some white hoods.
@Marcus
Competitive Cyclist says that’s their “Safety is Sexy” lid from Rudy… (tongue in le cheek)
Absolutely hideous. I think a blue-and-white lid with the cow pattern would have been better.
@ben
That’s a bucketload of leg! That can’t be right.
@frank
Only 2 points? Keep the change… I thought it was 4… if that’s the case I don’t trust Cadel enough so leave Pharmy in.
@ben
Rule Violations there are nasty, but he’s got some guns. Them be howitzers right there. How is it that the team that came up with that sweet wheel paintjob also said, “Yeah, yellow helmets. That’s the way.”
On another note, good on Good Cadel for observing Rule #15.
Cor – Big Jens, what a hero….get in my son. I’ve completely lost track of what’s going on away from Grimp JR and Vag-odor.
Oh….actually Menchov’s been let out the gimp box and is boogying away behind.
@frank
Oooooooffff…I think I jinxed him. If so, sorry guys. Bad Cadel just showed up.
For sale. One BMC Impec. Used once. Color yellow.
@Joe
Did you see Jens pop at the end of the climb? He kept going the exact same speed, got out of the saddle to accelerate, and then all of a sudden, decelerated to 2kph, but with apparently the same effort still being dished into the guns.
That’s how you do it.
@Marcus
Oooooh. Snap. ++1. Was that Bookwalter doing the chore for him there? Good on him.
Those pictures of Cadel, broken, are really tough to see. Poor guy.
@Frank, the little wry smile and shake of the head as he popped, you could see half the crowd waiting to grab him in case he wobbled off. Like Navarro a couple of days back a totally dudely ride and I actually can’t believe he had the juice to lead those 2 up the last bit.
Bertie looked close to popping today but just held in there…advantage him unless the plucky Grimp jr can break him on the last 2 hill top finishes…Tourmalet could be utterly epic. I’m really warming to him this year….he even showed some proper grinta on the descent!
Poor Cadel, he looked broken at the finish…no one likes to see that. Brass balls down the hill too to claw back those couple of minutes.
I better not put anyone else in my picks… it just makes them pop…
Looks like Twiggo doesn’t have it this year, and the pyrenees are worse for him
Damn, Evans had a baaaad day today. That really hurt. Wiggo hasn’t got the form, despite a year spent prepping for this race. Poor.
I’m off to France tomorrow (having got back from shooting a wedding in fucking Paris yesterday! – look here http://www.guycollierphotography.com/?p=3973) and that’ll be taking me to Pau on Sunday morning for l’Etape. I’m shitting myself. Bike bag is packed, kit bag packed.
Wish me luck chaps.
Jens for God! Great footage of him pulling for Schleck! What a warrior!
I was quietly hoping for a Moreau stage win””that would have been cool. And disappointed that Basso didn’t follow Schleck and Contador today; I rather expected him to make a case for himself instead of just going steady. Is he gassed or is he waiting for the Pyrenees? I can only imagine the latter, since Liquigas has been pretty quiet.
Finally, I thought the Alps weren’t going to decide the GC. Looks like plenty of contenders have been proven impostors to the throne and we’re down to a two-horse race. Menchov is lurking (because he hasn’t fallen off his bike yet) and Gesink (with one arm), but no one else is within five minutes
@Guy
Good riding, mate! Enjoy!
evans gets my vote as a hardman, apparently he’s got a fractured elbow
Come on! I’m missing the Velominati spirit here. This is supposed to be the place where leisure cyclists freely malign the sport’s champions. Cadel, what whining excuse will it be now? A broken elbow? Yeah right. Jen’s duty was to get over the climb with A. Schleck and take him home to the finish line. He quit when the going got tough. He should be demoted from lieutenant to corporal.
@David….nah Big Jens gets props for that blow-up – that’s about the only thing most of us can ever hope to do as well as these fellas…we should take glory in it.
In fact, I’m going to go home, lycra up and ride til I puke. After that, (and because it’s tuesday), I’m going to shower, drink several pints of beer, maul an overseasoned kebab of the gyro variety and finish the evening with some grubby non-cognac, digestif. The whole evening, I dedicate to Jens. I think he’d approve.
Great riding from Hushovd today, too.
@Joe
Cheers, mate! That sounds like a fucking way to honor him.
@david
Excellent point, but those lads did their best. Good on them. But back to skewering people like is our job: that fucking Twiggo. What an ass! The fucker gets what he deserves, ditching a team that done him good like that. Talking like big shit all year since getting 4th and now he’s pulling out his second GT in the Laughing Group. Jackass.
I think Count Drac is a funny thing to watch. The poor sack of shit is actually trying to play the good domestique but he just can’t seem to pull it off. Couldn’t quite understand his move at the foot of the Madeleine; I understand the tactic but he didn’t seem to execute; went so hard to get away that he was useless when the group got back to him. He needs to take some remedial classes in gauging his efforts.
@all
Major change-up in the GC today, with the VSP seeing changes in leadership of the Yellow Jersey badge and the Polka Dot badge.
1 Daniel 25 points
2 Joshua 25 points
3 Nathan Edwards 25 points
4 Marko 11 points
5 Dan O 11 points
6 Roberto Marques 5 points
7 Andy 5 points
8 Scott 3 points
9 Roadslave 2 points
10 Steampunk 2 points
11 Souleur 2 points
12 John 2 points
13 Rob 2 points
14 Geof 2 points
15 Marcus 2 points
16 Brett 2 points
17 Jarvis 2 points
18 Hawkeye 2 points
19 David 1 point
20 Ben 1 point
21 Frank 1 point
22 Pont 1 point
23 Crossy 1 point
24 Cyclops 0 points
25 Joe 0 points
26 Houdini 0 points
Dotted Jumper: Souleur
UPDATED: Please help validate that the scoring is accurate on the Google Doc VSP Spreadsheet. We are aiming for transparency and accuracy here…
@frank – is there some magic you can weave to let everyone see everyone else’s picks? perhaps you are using some sort of spreadsheet to keep the tally on this…and perhaps you could turn that into a publically-viewable Google Doc? That’d be sweet.
@all – David Millar appeared to be Lantern Rouge on the stage today – +45′ Gazzetta is hoping he missed the cut…
Quote of the Day: “someone that doesn’t love Jens is the same sort that would kill baby kittens”
@Cyclops
Word is Jens’s favorite recovery meal is raw (and still kicking) baby kittens.
I fucking rue my idiotic bombast…my legs aren’t aching yet, but I’ve sent them the hurt, recorded delivery…all they can do now is twitch spasmodically and fail to support me particularly well. Off to the pub then I suppose. The last fucking thing in the world I want right now is alcohol. Still, might make it a cider, pint of old rosie, keep things interesting. Rule #5. Toodle-pip.
Which is why JENS! doesn’t event like JENS! because even JENS! would kill a kitten, if the kitten attacked JENS!
Don’t attempt to understand that statement beyond the time it takes to read it, because you would not escape the JENS! Horizon and would be sucked into an infinitely deep swirl of suffering and pain.
@ben
Here’s the HTML publish of the Google Doc spreadsheet I’m using:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0AnKExZGkvY-ndE9KcFFPRUpoM1ZONFZfR1lldUtQckE&hl=en&single=true&gid=1&output=html
@Kermitpunk
Which he skins using only one toe and his left thumb.
That last bit there, just before he blew, reminds me of Faboo’s 1kmph blow-out after leading out the Brothers Grimpeur on Verbier. That’s the needle hitting zero, my son.
@Joe
Snap out of it!
Not making it easier on yourself using words like, “Toodle-pip”. Don’t stop till you’ve downed seven pints or more of Guiness. Get on with it.
@frank
You’ve heard about the two Irishmen in the pub. One bets the other he can’t drink ten pints of Guinness in ten minutes. The other leaves, comes back about 15 minutes later and accepts the bet. Sure enough, he downs the ten in ten. Friend is astounded and wants to know where he went off to before the bet. He responds he went across the street to the other pub to see if he could do it before accepting the bet.
@frank Thanks, Frank. I appreciate a good spreadsheet. It appears I am being credited for my 2-point LA switch-out, rather than penalized…and I am not receiving a point for Contador. Moving me down from 4 points to 3. Then again, I may not be reading that spreadsheet right.
@ben
Well, look at the brains on this one! Right you are. I forgot I’m summing all of them, not subtracting the penalties. Updated. I think the link above is set up to updated automatically when I update the spreadsheet.
@Kermitpunk
Classic.
@ben
Even when he’s suffering, it doesn’t look like he’s suffering.
@Kermitpunk
That’s why his name is Faboo! Because he’s Faboolous!