Velominati Super Prestige: Tour de Suisse
The Tour de Suisse is the last warm-up race prior to the Tour, and the last chance to test your form. As far as Tour rivalries go, we typically see one rival choose the Dauphiné and one la Suisse; it’s unpleasant to ruffle your feathers too much with a pre-Tour head-to-head, you see.
While the Dauphiné has the benefit of previewing some of the Tour’s stages in a race situation, the Tour de Suisse has the benefit of including the only thing more sinister than cobbled bergs: a cobbled mountain pass. This road also holds the distinction of being the only one where I feel more sympathy for the road layers than I do the riders.
Aside from rivals and masochism, the key factors determining which race to ride have to do with the timing of the peak: this race features a full week later in the calendar than does the Dauphiné, and based on the Tour’s parcours and rhythm of the rider’s season, this race may have better timing. But in any case, as with the Critérium, the effort is a dangerous gamble: ride too hard and you could fire off the Guns enter the Tour with little more than starter pistols. Balance, balance.
So, as the Dauphiné winds down, it’s time to start thinking about Suisse, our last VSP before le Tour. Get your picks in by 5am Pacific on Saturday morning. Same drill as usual: Being a week-long stage race, the points on offer are 7 for first, 5 for second, 4 for third, 3 for fourth, 2 for fifth, with the usual allotment of bonus points for getting the rider right but the place wrong. Also, there are no rest days, so no rest day swaps, but we will have our usual approach for riders who drop out. Piti Principle applies as always. Also review the guide, being careful to note that the rules have changed a bit this year, and we may not have completely updated the guide yet, so if there’s a question, ask.
May Merckx be with you all.
Yee haw, I’m going to curse the other people who have picked the same riders as me with my profound inability to pick a VSP winner if my life depended on it.
VSP PICKS:
1. F Schleck
2. Ryder He don’t stall
3. Can E Go? Hell no!
4. Chavanel
5. Di Luca
VSP PICKS:
1. Frank Schleck
2. Kloden
3. Andy Schleck
4. Ryder
5. TJ
@xyxax
You should get a bonus point just for submitting something.
VSP PICKS:
1. Schleck le vieux
2. O, Hesjdahl
3. P. Velits
4. Mollema
5. Klodey
VSP PICKS:
2. Nation’s Weight Rider
3. Siverman Shaved-and-All
4. Shcleck Senior
5. Loopy Leipy
This time…
VSP PICKS:
1. Nation’s Weight Rider
2. Shaven All
3. Schleck Senior
4. Shcleck Senior
5. Fabulosity
This isn’t the place for this, but it’s really starting to annoy me that people can’t keep their tense straight anymore. It’s “BECAUSE THERE ARE NO FUCKING SPRINTS.”
@minion
You too, Minion. Campa cables are the best there are.
That aside, @Ron – just get Campa cables. They are way mo’ bettah.
VSP PICKS:
1. Grimpelder
2. Grimplette
3. Ryder on the Storm
4. Kloden
5. Eggtimer
@frank
Proper pedantry, please. Those are not verb tense errors, they are conjugation errors.
In any event, if you expect the Queen’s English from the Manx Mouth, you will be disappointed.
VSP PICKS:
1. Schleck le vieux
2. O, Hesjdahl
3. P. Velits
4. Mollema
5. Klodey
@Steampunk
+1
VSP PICKS:
1. Andy Schleck
2. Ryder Hesjedal
3. Frank Schleck
4. Tejay Van Garderen
5. Andreas Kloden
VSP PICKS:
1. Kloden
2. Hesjedal
3. Frank Schleck
4. Levi
5. Andy Schleck
VSP PICKS:
1. F. Schleck
2. C. Chavanel
3. Hesjdahl
4. Kloden
5. Sagan
Nice looking mountain stages this year but I rather just see Saussler headbutt Cav.
VSP PICKS:
1. A Schleck
2. F Schleck
3. Ryder
4. Dessel
5. Jacky Bobby
VSP PICKS:
1. schleck the younger
2. Schleck the elder
3. Kloden
4. Levi
5. Spartacus
VSP PICKS:
1. P. Sagan
2. T. Martin
I haven’t a clue, I’m just betting against the kids from Luxembourg. Why, because I can.
VSP PICKS:
1. P. Sagan
2. T. Martin
3. Chavanel
4. Hesjedal
5. p. Velits
No idea?
Spent more time trying to be clever with the names rather than who might pull it off!
VSP PICKS:
1. Shaved Balls
2. Faboo
3. Ridge Ryder
4. Fronk
5. Bad Cooke
VSP PICKS:
1. Frank Schleck
2. Andreas Kloden
3. Ryder Hesjedal
4. Chavanel
5. Danilo DiLuca
Dunno why I think the eggtimer can do it – but he (and Horner even more so) made schleck look ordinary in California.
VSP PICKS:
1. Leipheimer
2. F schleck
3. A schleck
4. Klodi
5. Cunego
No idea?
Spent more time trying to be clever with the names rather than who might pull it off!
and no idea why this posted twice? Wasn’t interesting the first time so apologies for the unintentional second post
Come on Klodi… win one for the Kaiser.
VSP PICKS:
1. Little Klodi
2. Schleck Major
3. Letli Veride
4. Fuglsang
5. Le TVG
VSP PICKS:
1. Kreuziger
2. Albasini
3. Kloden
4. A Schleck
5. Vande Velde
@G’phant
WTF? I fried to enter ‘Loopy Leipy’ instead of one of my Schleck Seniors. I know I am from New Zealand and all, but fer crissakes even I know that Franky can’t place twice. Not even Dr Ferrari could make that happen. Er, Keepers, ay chance you could fix my picks to include the Eggtimer in fourth? (In retrospect I might maximize my points potential by keeping it as is. But my self-respect would suffer.)
Shit I missed the start… I’m shuttin the whole thing down.
Or maybe I’m resting for the Tour. Think about that.
Hypotheticals, puttin the Virtual in VSP:
1. Frønk D. Schtrack
2: Daylight
3: Everyone Else
4: The Ghost of Alex Zulle
5: The Fat Lady Sings
Chapeau – you’re the only Kiwi with any self-respect left…
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13680884
@*#&$!! missed the start time because of the morning ride. Should have had coffee prior to riding.
I wondered why no-one else had him :/
What was the date on that article I read?
Ah well the Lantern Rouge ain’t so bad :D
DAMN!!! Cuddles dropped again with 3 k to go. Wonder how much he’ll lose?
Ooops, wrong race!
@all
SteepHill has got the Suisse coverage on now as well; right after the Dauphiné! Happy morning!
So far, so good for TJ and Kloden. Andy had a mechanical and is back a bit but here’s to hoping that Frank does not lose too much time today!
Spartacus had a mechanical, too, and he still managed to smash the field. “Oi, Andy! That’s how you do it: Rule V!”
Sheeeeeit, I missed out on the VSP entry.
Klodi for the win.
Grimpy the Elder for the second spot.
Mollema and Kruijiswick(?) should make it interesting.
The Sparrow of Cazoña is back, too!
Alright – no big surprise here, but Fabulous Faboo nailed it. What an animal. Little I love more than concurrent VSPs.
[vsp_results id=”8564″]
[/vsp_results]
I spent an hour figuring out who I was going to pick, and realized that it was Saturday, not Friday, and that I could pick no one. I get the feeling that missing this coupled with my shit performance in the Criterium, is going to have me out of the GC for the shop apron. At least I get to keep the pink jumper.
@ChrisO
Hah! Yes, national day of mourning here for the most non Rule #31 compliant sheep of all time. Thanks for your support.
@G’phant
Er, I mean non Rule #33 compliant.
F..K Dam it! I take my first weeks holiday in almost 6 years and I miss the VSP for the suisse… I knew I should have stayed home. Priorities!
Hmmmmm Sailing around the pacific islands getting fat or stay at home and rock the VSP?
is it just me, or is there a sinister resemblance between
&
?
@heath
Not only an amazing resemblance but the line “I knew it. I’m surrounded by assholes!!!” fits as well (at least last year’s team fits the bill!
Damn, Frank Schleck is restless today, eh? And where’s Klode???
@Buck Rogers
Yeah, it’s lookin’ good fer ‘im, eh? I was so happy for him when he didn’t crash going around that tight bend. Who’s a big boy, huh? Who’s a big boy? *beams proudly*
[vsp_results id=”8564″]
[/vsp_results]
Wait, Soler is still on his wheels? That’s better than he showed the last 2 years.
Well crap! Klode definitely had an “off day” to put it mildly. Any rest days in this race (as I sure need to swap his worthless ass out of my picks)??? Don’t I wish! :)
@frank
“This isn’t the place for this, but it’s really starting to annoy me that people can’t keep their tense straight anymore. It’s “BECAUSE THERE ARE NO FUCKING SPRINTS.”
Learned you lesson the The Badger, eh?:
http://lunarpoodle.blogspot.com/2011/03/life-of-velominati.html
Holy smokes!
10 Minutes Klodi?
Looks like that tour GC spot is going to be between Erin and Horner…
@CJ
yeah, i’m right there with ya. i’m not so sure about ryder either…and i was so close to putting soler in my VSP picks.
will andy lose MORE time tomorrow? at least schleck the elder is looking good.
@heath
Way better than his brother, for sure.
This and the dauphine sure are proving food for thought in terms of tour picks, especially with how shattered Contador must be at the moment. Perhaps not the two-horse race it threatened to be?
It’s not easy coming in last but not too far behind in the tour, but in the VSP I attribute it to my near total ignorance of the competitors names and skill. I apologise for this but I have after all only been cycling for 4 months. I feel I have humiliated myself somewhat, although by applying Rule #5 I should be ok. Anyway, it’s all about the bike and surely choosing the winner of a race isn’t even secondary, right?
Snoov, many of us who know all the names can’t get our picks right! Don’t sweat it, man, just keep rolling and see where you end up…
Top Man Snoov – I was wearing the Lantern last week, probably something to do with not reading the instructions (but then that would have been swimming against the tide of male development through the ages), I would have realised that stage positions aren’t relevant in a gig that is about the GC positions on the last day – Doh! Key thing seems to be to make up wierd acronyms and then pretend they were someone else when the scores go on the doors at the end
Anyway, thanks for making me feel like a veteran of 6 months cyclista now – refreshingly unpleasant sensation after years of plugging my way through the sailing fraternity, only to return to the bottom of the pile again – but hey, they’re a friendly lot, and if you change your shirt often enough, they won’t call you Barnacle, and we can slowly work back through the field – stick with it dude