Velominati Super Prestige: Tour de Suisse 2014

Need more cowbell! photo: Moses Mexia

The Tour de Suisse can be everyone’s warm-up for the Tour de France, including all you VSP dreamers. The big show seems to be the Critérium de Dauphanié this year, as far as Tour de France contenders go but the Tour de Suisse still has some big guns showing up. Twiggo is here, not for a Tour warm up, unless people are worried about Richie Porte’s lack of form. If Wiggins was drafted, we would have the potential for another Stephen Roche-Roberto Visentini affair. That would be the best but I’m getting ahead of myself.

The Swiss tour is a proper mix of time trialing and climbing but one might lose more time in the climbing than the time trialing. Rui Costa, the defending champion, has the need to win in his new white kit. Twiggo may have a need to win just to make Sky management sleep badly between now and July. Cancellara has won his home tour but he would need some special mojo to win this one. The racing may well be more interesting than the Critérium de Dauphiné as the eventual winner most likely won’t be decided on the very first day.

As always, look to the countdown timer to avoid a Delgado situation. Here is a start list.

Prizes, we remember the prizes don’t we?

  • First place overall wins a Veloforma Strada iR Velominati Edition frame in addition to the customary VSP winner’s VVorkshop Apron
  • Second place overall wins a set of hand built CR Wheelworks Arenberg wheelset in a custom Velominati paint scheme laced to orange Chris King hubs. (CR Wheelworks is Café Roubaix’s new wheel goods brand.)
  • Third place overall wins a full Velominati V-Kit with accompanying custom orange Bont Vaypor+ road shoes.

[vsp_results id=”30094″/]

Gianni

Gianni has left the building.

View Comments

  • @Steampunk

    @xyxax

    @Steampunk

    @xyxax

    It's a hobbit-sized door. That might be your problem. Picks so good you posted them thrice. People should say thrice more.

    Oh sure, it starts with hobbit doors and the next thing you know, only small cogs and short-reach brakes allowed. If I've said it once, I've said it thrice, that way lies MADNESS!

    I heard Frank's currently penning a piece on the (newfound) virtues of riding a compact and/or triple. Of course, he's also riding a 52 these days, so he still fits through the hobbit door. This place's gone to hell.

    What's wrong with 52 !? It goes with 42.

  • @Minnesota Expat

    @Nate

    @andrew if Contador has 98% of Froome's form at the tour I reckon he can close the gap with racing savvy and mind game.

    Today's strong finish by Contador (building on his strong spring) really does change the TdF calculations. Daymn. More pressure to add Wiggins to the TdF squad?

    Then Wiggins loses 32 seconds in the TT on today's Stage One?! What is up with that?! He badly needed that time, with a strong TT on Friday, to be in the yellow jersey next Sunday.

    Is there a rest day? I want to make a change to my VSP picks.

    No one is saying how slow Twiggo was in the opening prologue but it is always an indicator of form and that is not good for all the people who chose him for the VSP. Sagan did very well. Fabs can descend on a TT bike like a bastard.

  • @taon24

    @piwakawaka

    @Tobin

    Hmmmm, no idea. The timer is closed at midnight Pacific Coast Time regardless of the actual start time of a race, any race. I would bet you had not refreshed your screen, I have delgadoed myself on more than one occasion doing that. If there was some software fuck up, the jury may have pity on you, but there is no evidence of that yet.

  • @Steampunk

    @xyxax

    @Steampunk

    @xyxax

    It's a hobbit-sized door. That might be your problem. Picks so good you posted them thrice. People should say thrice more.

    Oh sure, it starts with hobbit doors and the next thing you know, only small cogs and short-reach brakes allowed. If I've said it once, I've said it thrice, that way lies MADNESS!

    I heard Frank's currently penning a piece on the (newfound) virtues of riding a compact and/or triple. Of course, he's also riding a 52 these days, so he still fits through the hobbit door. This place's gone to hell.

    Fine, fine, fine.  There, I've said it thricely.  But I'll defend my head tube length to the death (or old age whichever comes first)

  • Wow, the Dauphiné... Andrew Talansky and Garmin-Sharp -- hell of a race and great to see.  Big ride from Ryder, too.

  • @Steampunk

    @andrew

    Alberto broke Froome today. I'll be very interested to see how Sky plays this one.

    More tramadol to ease the pain, an inhaler to assist with anxiety decreasing deep breathing, and another trip to the edges of the rule book to find more marginal pharmaceutical gains.

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