Velominati Super Prestige: Tour de Suisse 2016
We are opening the rolling metal door to the VSP generator and warming it up for this weekend’s start of the Tour de Suisse. As usual, the big hitters of the Tour are riding the Dauphine; I should be more excited about that race but, yawn, not so much. The Swiss tour is longer, more climbing, generally a more awesome race and with any luck they will climb the Passo San Gottardo. The Swiss don’t fool around with their roads, tunnels or cows. Here is your start list.
OK, everyone knows the drill here. Delgado-ing is right out, this starts on Saturday, you have been warned. Prizes, rules, go to the VSP pages for the specifics.
[vsp_results id=”47525″/]
@Ron
What’s worse is my father-in-law is generally go to tech guy.
@Ron
Don’t forget, they are also men who shave their legs and have stricter diets than most supermodels.
errrr….excuse me…..but……
@Teocalli
What . . . the . . . fuck . . . is . . . that?
@Mikael Liddy
If I’m not mistaken, those are Assos logos on the shoulders. I will get some of their bibs, but I think the styling of their jerseys is a bit meh, and carries through to these jerseys.
@wiscot
Gilbert today……..
@Teocalli
I won’t repost, but he really should know better. I think he’s losing it in his old age.
@Beers
yup, and Assos being Swiss, I understand why they’re the manufacturer of choice, but the actual design is just god awful.
@wiscot @Teocalli
I can’t help but get this idea that something must have fell out of a tree as he road by, landed on his head, and wouldn’t let go. I don’t know what? A tree squid? Whatev… Strange indeed.
@Mikael Liddy
Looks like they use the same “designer” as the Tour of California. Which is not a good thing.
@Randy C
Ha! This is great!
Sounds like a proper Rule #9 day at the Swisse.
Abandonments gauche et droite!
wiscot – Ha, good additional points!
Okay. I’m going to pretend I never saw that photo of Gilbert.
Treat needs to pull something huge if he wants to be BMC TdF captain come July. But, based on Phil Gil’s head gear, I think BMC implodes here and in July.
@Teocalli
I just did some deep web research. Gilbert is wearing the yet-to-be-released Giro “Armadillo” helmet. Flexible and tough, though only available in gray.
@wiscot
That, or a knit tea cosy.
@ErikdR
Aye, that’s likely. Maybe he didn’t want to upset his mother:
“Where are you riding this week, Phillipe?”
“Switzerland, mother. I’m riding the Tour of Switzerland.”
“Ooh, it gets cold there. They have snow and mountains. I hope you don’t catch cold. I’ll knit you a nice little hat to keep your head warm. The doctor says you lose a lot of heat through your noggin.”
“I’ll be fine mother, honestly. The team give me caps and helmets.”
“You can’t be too careful dear (she says while furiously knitting up a storm). Here, wear this, it’ll keep you warm.”
“No, really mother, I’ll be fine.”
“Do as I fucking tell you Phillipe. There’s a good boy.”
“Yes mother.”
. . . and the rest is history.
@wiscot
Ha! Yep – you nailed it, methinks. (Chuckling into my Danish lager here… For the record: Neither Carlsberg nor Tuborg – although there’s nothing wrong with either)
@wiscot
He must have chosen the one with the built in ear muffs too.
@Teocalli
You can be damn sure no Etixx QS rider would wear that abomination. Their riders know that good headwear looks like. Did you see the “cap” Froome was wearing at the end of the Dauphine? It had his name on the side but looked five sizes too big.
Tough day at the office, nice ride by JoDomBro, more disappointment for TJVG maybe he just isn’t dumb enough. Top ten is inside 1.03 so lots to race for. Another big day tomorrow.
Holy Abandons Batman!!!
This race has had so many abandons this year. Between the parcourse and the weather, they’re dropping like flies!
Beautiful suffering going on right now, on finish at Rettenbachglacier in Austria. Snow on Festum Propaetae!
@KogaLover
Are you there now??? Such a BRILLIANT stage going on right now!!!
Prophaetea (begging for Merckxy mercy)
(Merde +*&%”ç§x!!!) Prophaetae (begging for Merckxy mercy^2)
And Buck, no, am not there physically (although am in Switzerland) but Swiss TV does live streaming. Btw, TJ just crashed the rest.
I am guilty of this. So someone please help me understand. Those of us who cheer for the USofA watch Teejay but forget Andrew Talansky. Why do we do that?
@Erik
That may change next month when it looks like van Garderen will be riding in a support role for Richie Porte.
Regarding your initial question, I think it is because Talansky has historically dropped down the standings pretty quickly in big races. As a result, he is out of sight of the lead and therefore out of mind. Tejay, on the other hand has at least made it to the rest day near the top of the standings and therefore top of our minds.
I keep waiting for Talansky to have a break out year. I am hoping this is the one!
@Erik
Don’t know, never understood that either, but there is something I just don’t like about Van Garderen. Their results are similar, top ten and top five results in world tour stage races, they’ve both won top shelf stage races :::shrug:::
@Rick
You know, I’d never pick either one for a top ten (let alone top five) finish in a Giro/TdF/Vuelta. They both have trouble finishing three weeks, albeit Talansky’s 2014 TdF abandon was epic (2 crashes, lot’s of pain, but finished the stage) and Van Garderen’s 2015 TdF abandon was sad (he had a migraine).
I do prefer watching Cannondale versus BMC. Obviously Cannondale is not as strong as BMC, but there’s lots of exciting great young talent on that team, BMC just feels like a second or third place. I mean, what’s not to like about Joe Dombrowski, Formolo, Brown, Moser, Navardauskus, et al?
I forgot to mention Alex Howes. Great blog. I don’t even mind Rigoberto Uran. Lot’s of personality. Although he’s another one that has trouble with a three-week stage race.
@Minnesota Expat
I have a feeling that BMC management agrees with your assessment. I expect Tejay to be working for Porte next month.
I will be rooting like crazy for Talansky tomorrow!
@Teocalli
I think they hired the Orica Green Edge driver from the year before.
@wiscot
Never seen it worn like that. But he’s wearing a Buff. It’s a neck gaiter…normally in cold weather you pull it up over the back of your head but under your helmet. Keeps you warm in cold weather.
Bet they’d love some disc brakes right now!
Wow Lopez, seventh last year winner at 22 this year, is this the beginning of a great era for Columbian cycling?
Nice to see TJVG riding better, especially downhill in the rain and snow!!
I’m turning into a JoDomBro fan boy, excellent week for him.
Is GT worried about his place at TDF, Landa Henao and Poels all looked a lot better than Sky’s protected man in Switzerland?
Full race albeit only 57kms, but nice to see a race begin and form.
@piwakawaka
Two real good days for Tejay. But darn it, he always has one bad day, whether a three-week or one-week race, and it’s all for naught. Same as Talansky. But I’m with you on Dombrowski. After his Giro and now the TdS. Wow. Steady, consistent, day after day, and no bad days. Hope he races the Vuelta. Nice kid too. Vaughters better get out the checkbook next year, that boy has GC written all over him.
@Rick
Well, that didn’t turn out so good. Good race, short, but competitive and fun to watch. And Talansky and Tejay finished off the podium. Gawd, how can you not maintain a second place with a rider like Dombrowski pulling your butt over the mountains? Go figure.
Porte is showing some form and Tejay would be the elite of the elite domistique, but I have no confidence that Porte will podium. Let alone a top five VSP finish. He’s going to get sick, have a bad day and pfffft. I’m looking at the Columbians.
@Minnesota Expat
TDF is not as high as Swiss, Dauphine or Giro, I wonder whether this will negate some of the natural advantage guy’s like Quintana get in the high mountains and is it a sign of a cleaner peloton that these guy’s seem to have this?
@piwakawaka
A sign of a cleaner peloton, that top GC riders get sick or have bad days? Could be, could be. Hadn’t considered that possibility. I like that. I certainly wouldn’t think that Tejay (in spite of training with Armstrong) or Talansky (in spite of being on the same team as Danielson) are dirty.
Still, there are riders that seem more resilient, for example; Froome, Quintana, Contadore, Nibali and others. And in spite of the Contador hate on this site, I have a hard time believing any of those four are dirty either.
@Minnesota Expat
more that the Colombians from the high altitudes are going so well, does this mean the other climbers without this advantage are cleaner these days and therefore find it harder to compete against the likes of Chavez, Lopez and Henao?
I’ve always been mindful of the body weight/sickness paradox, the lower you go the ‘sicker’ you can get. Good reason not to give up beer!
@piwakawaka
Probably, it makes a lot of sense. But from what I read, this Colombian resurgence in world tour level racing is deeper and broader than 20-30 years ago. It’s all good for cycling. Imagine the face of the peloton when the east Africans get fully engaged. But also an argument for continued vigilance.
@piwakawaka
Right. Just eat less food! Cheers!
This quote from Lopez is probably translated rather poorly to English, but is so good;
“I knew all my opponents would try to attack me, so then I decided to attack myself,” López said. “It worked out well.”
You are a brilliant madman Lopez!
@GoldenGorilla
I believe that is referred to as panache, and I love it!