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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View Comments
@frank
Time for some code hokeypokerey :P
@frank
What about a "most aggressive" prize, awarded to the person whose picks show the most - I don't know, chutzpah? early promise? - even if not ultimately successful? (Maybe only applicable to stages, not the overall.)
Thought about a cut-off point - below a specified percentage of the winning total you get eliminated - but unless the percentage was, like, 98%, most of us in the grupetto would be eliminated almost immediately.
You could get really PRO and set up a Twitter feed so everyone could follow all picks and changes and comments instantaneously. But no-one wants to be accused of copying the Texan. (Besides which, I can't keep comments to 132 characters....)
Finally, what about bonus points? Perhaps a bonus point on some stages for the person who spots (and provides evidence of) the most egregious breach of The Rules by a rider in the peloton that stage. (Probably only open to Rule Holists. But only Rule Holists would be intersted anyway ...)
The Hapsburg was never going to win the TdF but it was hard to watch him lose all that time. His tears at the end may have been a flagrant - and very public - violation of Rule 5 but I think there are mitigating circumstances. (Shit, I nearly cried for him myself, it was kinda like watching a cross between Beaches and Hell on Wheels.)
Wiggins is really beginning to shit me. The man is a legend on the track and if he'd stayed there he would be beyond criticism. But he hasn't so he's not. He was dreaming if he thought he could be competitive in 3 week races, especially the one 3 week race everyone wants to win. (Maybe he could win the Vuelta.) His too cool for school in post race interviews (ITV) grate in much the same way that broken glass in my Assos chamois creme would grate.
@all
Bit of a quiet stage today; no changes in the VSP.
@Geof
I've been toying some similar ideas myself. Love the idea of picking Rule Violators and having a prize go to it. Ben's photo from a few days back is a prime example.
@ben
Thanks for the offer; I might just take you up on that!
@Daniel
Everything's possible! It would be crazy if our two contestants from Brazil would win the first two GT VSPs!
@Nof Landrien and @AllI knew Wiggins would be a no show for this Tour. While I'm not a huge LA fan I think the way things have worked out for Wiggins, Sastre, and Cadel Evans add great weight to just what an accomplishment winning seven Tours in a row is. So many things can conspire against you over the course of three weeks that can undo the greatest preparation in a moment. He may be a twitter but I doubt Lance's achievement will ever be equaled.
@frank
COTHO breaching Rule 37
Look very closely (I noticed the violation on the coverage and this was the only photo I could find of him in 12.3 seconds of searching).
Surely there is a bonus for a COTHO Rule violation?
@Marcus
Well spotted. Was that on the pave? If so, perhaps justifiable (i.e. to stop them rattling forward on his nose)?
@Geof
Nope - stage 9. Whilst I admire COTHO's riding, his style has always been questionable.
And Geof, suggest you may need to re-refer to Rules 1 and 3 before using the term "perhaps justifiable"?
@Marcus
Hehe. (Was so focussed on trying to find a helmet to wear in the office so that I could put my glasses on the outside of the straps and show my colleagues how much more PRO I am than Big Tex that I forgot myself. But I acknowledge that that is not justifiable. Not even perhaps.)
I don't think this falls under "THE RULES" but I gather that picking at your arse constantly during a race is not considered good form:
http://cdn-community2.livestrong.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/13/2/3d8aacf3-015d-4ae1-82f6-db7c3e29052c.Full.jpg
Methinks that saddle sore was a bad one. I noticed him fidgeting a fair amount...