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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Yeah, I just don't see the value of the awarding consistency, unless it's consistent podium places or winning. Since the TdF on whole is largely a contest of climbers who can time-trial, or vice versa, you might make the TdF also the premier sprinter's contest by more heavily weighting winning as I have suggested. Or, you might make the green jersey an award for ultra-competitive hardmen by also heavily weighting intermediate sprints. In either case, something (more) admirable, in my opinion, is valued: speed in the first case, hardness/competitiveness in the second case.
@david
I quite like the idea of two separate competitions - green for "real" sprinters (Cavenmaybegettingmymojobackdish, Aleoldbastardbutstillscreaminglyfastjet, etc) and black for "consistent hardmen" (Thor - and EBH?) - but on balance prefer things the way they are. Having two competitions would take away from the current competition the tension between the claims of those two groups, and I like the uncertainty and tension that provides. The fact that Thor can take green by being there or thereabouts all the time and then pulling off an awesome ride over the bumps - but only once Cavendoesntholdalinedish gets himself penalised depite winning six stages outright - makes the whole thing more intriguing than separate competitions would. And it's not as if the pure sprinters get nothing out of it. They get stage wins. (Anyone think Caventearsofreliefandjoydish went unnoticed last year?)
@david
Please name a green jersey winner - with the exception of Thor winning last year over the Douche - who wasn't the best sprinter in that particular tour (and who finished the race)? I suggest there aren't many and certainly my thirteen seconds' consideration of this question couldn't come up with one.
The green jersey competition is there, as Frank says, to maintain interest and reward consistency on the flat stages. Keep in mind the points are weighted to those stages and not to the mountains (unlike the Giro this year which saw Cadelephant win the fucking points jersey).
As Geof says, the actual stage win is the thing that rewards that day's stage win.
The Giro competitions are fucked. There are too many.
good on cavencanacutallywinastagewhenshitgoesrightbutisstill50pointsbehindthorandsowhythefuckdidipickhimforgreenthisyeardish for owning it today. I still hope he doesn't sack off the rest of the tour now. Its still possible he can win green (and if he went for it, it'd prove he is not the huge tossbag he tries to be). I'm still backing the chap. Even if he is gonna ride for the isle of man at the commonwealth games (and therefore get them their only medal)
@Geof No, I'd definitely not want to see two comps. I'd just like to see something clear and admirable denoted by the green jersey. I don't think it is. It rewards consistency?? What's that?
Anyone can win stages. A green sprinter's jersey would reward sprinting per se.
@Marcus Do we need more examples than the one? MCav wins six stages and doesn't win the points comp!? With that many wins, even with the BS relegation, he ought to have won. What's really being assessed or measured in the competition? I'm not sure I can identify it in this case. Consistency of what? Consistency of finish placings? Why's that valuable or worthy of a jersey? I haven't done the math, but it would seem to me someone who got 4th every flat stage or transition stage could win the jersey under the right circumstances. It would be a notable achievement, especially for a rookie. But worthy of a jersey?
Then, again, it may be that the circumstances needed to produce something embarrassing like that are just too rare. Cause, you're right, mostly the green jersey winner is an admirable rider with great sprinting skill.
@david
Lest we forget, Thor was not only consistently second or third, but also proved he could sprint uphill. Remove the disqualification and you can bet the Thor would have pushed things in Paris and stayed on Cav's wheel for another second. I, for one, don't see anything tainted about Hushovd's green jersey from last year and don't really have a problem with the way it's scored. Frankly, the more I think about it, altering the scoring rewards sprinters who finish first one stage and then don't show for the second over the guy who's always fighting for the line. I have a lot more respect for the latter.
@Kermitpunk Just a fundamental difference of opinion there, I think. The who's always fighting for the line but failing is, . . . well, failing.
@david
My question which listed the Douche as an exception necessarily meant I requested more than one example.
So please try to name another rider who was the best sprinter in a particular tour (who finished that tour) who didn't win green?
If you can't do that, then your whole argument fails as there is no need for an alternate award or changed points system.
@david
Thor failed??