The mighty VSP generator has been switched on once again. The mil-spec hydraulic fluid has been changed since the Giro. A new power take-off belt has also been installed. And the punch card reader has been refurbished.
Broome and Berti are already riding the Critérium du Dauphiné. The top contenders prefer the Dauphiné for the decent recovery allowed between it and the Tour. The Tour de Suisse provides a chance for everyone else to prove they are worthy to make their Tour team or they are lieutenants who actually would like to win this Swiss tour before they have to work for their Tour de France team leader, who will falter and then they will assume the leadership, the understudy, as it were. No, did I say Cadel’s name? I did not.
Fabian Cancellara is in, he is a past winner of the Tour de Suisse, like Francesco Moser is a past winner of the Giro. Two Passitas if there ever were, winning mountainous stage races of their home countries. Vlad Karpets won the Tour de Suisse in 2007! What does this mean? It means picking the winner of this race could put you in a spot of bother is what it means. Some are riding to gain fitness, some are not riding too hard to keep fitness and some are racing to win because they have no chance of winning the Big One just weeks later. Clarity on this issue is only achievable from the correct reading of chicken bones stirred with monkey paw, or a life of purity.
This race begins on Saturday so don’t mess around. The provisional start list is here. This is a stage race but not a grand tour so the winner’s prize is not as grand, but the bragging rights are.
[vsp_results id=”23918″/]
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I went through the database and remapped everyone with Da Costa and updated the scoring.
And I say again - and take note because we have serous prizes on offer for the Tour - check your mappings proactively. I am not going to be this patient about this during the Tour VSP.
@Steampunk
did you see that? I had such high hopes until the road turned up and then, boom, pedalling squares. I kept trying to pick out the Luxembourgish (Luxembourgeois?) for "Teejay looks fucked" from the live feed. Still a mystery to me. A day sands...
Hi Frank, I got Pinot in correct 4th spot - 7 points??? Would be Top 10 ???
Don't envy your role as adjudicator here!
@asyax
Scoring (Minor Stage Races):
Readers who wish to enter shall enter their predictions for the top five placings on General Classification of each Minor Stage Race (less than three weeks) by the time the first stage or prologue begins.
Regular Points
Points will be scored in reverse order of finishing order: 10 points for first place, 8 for second, 7 for third, 5 for fourth, and 3 for fifth; plus two bonus points per rider in the top five regardless of the rider's placing, but riders are not scored twice.
Tie Breaking
In the event of a tie, the first reader to submit their predictions will be named the winner.
@Steampunk yeah BMC's form management looks dicey...both TJ & Cuddles seemed pretty hot in May but they've gone about their tour prep very differently. Cuddles avoiding racing & focussing on recovery, while as you picked TJ seems to have tried to stretch the form a little far.
Frank,
Once again i'm confused. Did you attribute 2 points on the VSP here as I had Rui Costa in 2nd place. One reading of the table says yes, one say no.
as i'm now sliding down the table (or back into the peloton after being dropped by the breakaway), i wouldn't want to slide any further!
Had been in actual fact shopping for just a normal shower enclosures
during which I discovered this web site, did not have any
idea there were such a thing as a 'steam shower enclosure',
really, may just may have to buy one