Velominati Super Prestige: Tour de Suisse 2013
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″/]
VSP PICKS:
1. Roman Kreuzinger
2. Tejay van Garderen
3. Peter Velits
4. Igor Anton
5. Daniel Martin
Insert praising and stalker-like comment directed at Ryder here.
VSP PICKS:
1. Hesjedal, Ryder
2. Faboo
3. Philbert
4. Boonen
5. Peraud
VSP PICKS:
1. KREUZIGER
2. ROJAS
3. SCARPONI
4. KLODEN
5. MOSER
In previous years, I was excited for the TDS, but this year feels less enthralling. I’m more comfortable picking places 4 through 9 than a podium. Not too many compelling storylines here. Although, I’m sure it will be fun to watch…
VSP PICKS:
1. T. Van Garderen
2. R. Costa
3. R. Kreuziger
4. M. Monfort
5. S. Spilak
Tricky one
VSP PICKS:
1. Jean-Christophe Peraud
2. Roman Kreuziger
3. Thomas Lövkvist
4. Tejay van Garderen
5. Mathias Frank
Yeah, I know there are at least 2 throw away picks in there.
VSP PICKS:
1. Costa
2. Boonen
3. Faboo
4. Gilbert
5. Millar
I’ve never noticed before, but a lot of riders’ surnames start with “K”. Seems like a good enough reason…
It will be interesting to see if Tanel Kangert has “recovered” from a “surprisingly good” Giro.
VSP PICKS:
1. Kreuziger
2. Kelderman
3. Kangert
4. Kloden
5. Kuchynski
Such a tough call. Should be fun to watch it unfold!
VSP PICKS:
1. Kreuziger
2. Tejay van Gaderen
3. M. Monfort
4. D. Martin
5. Brajkovic
VSP PICKS:
1. Hesjedal
2. Costa
3. Kreuziger
4. Anton
5. Cancellara
VSP PICKS:
1. TJ Van Gaderen
2. Kreuziger
3. Brajkovic
4. Hesjedal
5. Martin
Difficult race to predict, aren’t they all ? Put in Gilbert in the hope he actually does well in something while still in Le maillot arc-en-ciel. Sagan for some stage wins, Dan Martin ‘cos I like him and I hope Garmin do well.
VSP PICKS:
1. Spartacus
2. Quanta Da Costa
3. Giblets
4. Dan The Man Martin
5. Pincher Sagan
Hands down my favorite one week stage race!
VSP PICKS:
1. spilak
2. van garderen
3. Martin, Dan
4. Scarponi
5. Amador
VSP PICKS:
1. van Garderen
2. Roman Kreuziger
3. Faboo
4. Ryder Hesjedal
5. Sagan
Interesting this…you’d wanna have form, but still be about a month or so from peaking.
VSP PICKS:
1. TJ
2. The Roman Cross
3. Martin (the Irish one)
4. Rui Costa
5. Kangaert
VSP PICKS:
1. Tejay van Garderen
2. Roman Kreuziger
3. Steven Kruijswijk
4. Fabian Cancellara
5. Cameron Meyer
VSP PICKS:
1. Tejay van Garderen
2. Roman Kreuzinger
3. Dan Martin
4. Fabian Cancellara
5. Igor Anton
VSP PICKS:
1. TJ
2. Kreuziger
3. Rui Costa
4. Ryder
5. Spartacus
VSP PICKS:
1. Faboo
2. TJ
3. Boonen
4. Pinot
5. Hesjedal
VSP PICKS:
1. Dan Martin
2. Igor Anton
3. Janez Brajkovic
4. Johann Tschopp
5. Rui Costa
So many dudes could win this. @steampunks right: 6-10 would be easier.
VSP PICKS:
1. Faboo
2. Iglinskiy
3. Van summers night
4. Kreuziger
5. Visconti
VSP PICKS:
1. Tejay Vangardeschnitzel
2. Rui Alberto Faria da whatsisface
3. KRUIJSWIJKKJRTSJKIKJURKSWKIUKLKK
4. Die Kreuziger
5. Fabuloso
VSP PICKS:
1. Kreuziger
2. Moreno Moser
3. Hesedjal
4. Van Garderen
5. Faboo
VSP PICKS:
1. Kreuziger
2. van Garderen
3. Hesjedal
4. Moser
5. Anton
VSP PICKS:
1. dan martin
2. fab cance
3. brajkovic
4. tj
5. kzinger
Those are the chosen ones
VSP PICKS:
1. Costa
2. Kreuziger
3. Spilak
4. TJ vanG
5. Mollema
VSP PICKS:
1. Van Garderen
2. Martin
3. Hesjedal
4. Costa
5. Kreuziger
VSP PICKS:
1. Kreuzinger
2. Teejay
VSP PICKS:
1. Kreuzinger
2. Teejay
3. Luis Leon Sanchez
4. Tangert
5. Brankovic
VSP PICKS:
1. Fabian Cancellara
2. Tejay van Garderen
3. Ryder Hesjedal
4. Tanel Kangert
5. Domenico Pozzovivo
VSP PICKS:
1. Kreuziger
2. Spilak
3. Van Garderen
4. Christophe Peraud
5. rui costa
Toughest one of the year so far to pick for…
VSP PICKS:
1. Van Garderen
2. Hesjedal
3. Brajkovic
4. Kreuziger
5. Pozzovivo
VSP PICKS:
1. D Martin
2. Cancellara
3. Sagan
4. Tejay V Garderen
5. M Scarponi
VSP PICKS:
1. Pinot
2. Mollema
3. Kreuziger
4. TJVG
5. Visconti
Just in case nobody knows, Richie Porte is going to be third in the Big Lap this year, though after winning the fantastic De Feet Winter kit last year for my ludicrous VSP pick of Wiggo-Froome 1-2, I shall put Froome and Porte down as 1-2 and ignore Contador – I predict Froomie is going to give Contador an almighty shoeing at the Tour, and that’s gonna be fun to watch
VSP PICKS:
1. Pinot
2. Mollema
3. Kreuziger
4. TJVG
5. Visconti
VSP PICKS:
1. Van Garderen
2. Rui Costa
3. Cancellara
4. Albasini
5. Dan Martin
VSP PICKS:
1. Faboo
2. Van Garderen
3. Costa
4. Sagan
5. Kruijswijk
VSP PICKS:
1. kreuziger
2. brajkovic
3. hesjedal
4. faria da costa
5. van garderen
Sera un gran aperitivo para el tour y los sprinters tambien tienen mucho que decir……moser,degenkolb,van avermet,kristoff,demare,moser,sagan,rojas,farrar,boonen,renshaw,ponzi,ferrari,krvopis,goss,impey,benatti,haussler,swift
VSP PICKS:
1. Tejay van garderen
2. Kreuziger
3. Kruijswijk
4. Dan Martin
5. Mollema
Shameless plagiarism. Dog ate my homework
VSP PICKS:
1. Ryder Hesjedal
2. Dan martin
3. Kreuziger
4. TJ van G
5. Albasini
Yeah, yeah, Schleck is over, blah blah blah. I’ll give him one more shot to show up and stay relevant.
VSP PICKS:
1. Van Garderen
2. Schleck
3. Ryder
4. Kreuziger
5. Faboo
VSP PICKS:
1. Tejay van Garderen
2. Andy Schleck
3. Jonathan Tiernan-Locke
4. Ryder Hesjedal
5. Luis León Sánchez Gil
VSP PICKS:
1. van Garderen
2. Gilbert
3. Cancellara
4. Scarponi
5. Hesjedal
Heinrich to dominate.
VSP PICKS:
1. Heinrich
2. TJ Van
3. Ryder
4. Martin
5. Kreusiger
VSP PICKS:
1. van Garderen
2. Kreuziger
3. Pozzovivo
4. Hesjedal
5. Pinot
VSP PICKS:
1. Krueziger
2. Van Garderen
3. Spartacus
4. Ryder
5. A Schleck
VSP PICKS:
1. TJ
2. Roman
3. Dan Martin
4. Terpstra
5. Brice Feillu
TdS looking decidedly second rate this year compared to the Dauphine.
VSP PICKS:
1. Dan Martin
2. Rui Costa
3. Moreno Moser
4. Jonathan Tiernan Locke
5. Van Garderen
VSP PICKS:
1. Lovkvist
2. Van Garderen
3. Da Costa
4. Kreuziger
5. Spilak