Velominati Super Prestige: Tour de Suisse
The inaugural Velominati Super Prestige makes an unscheduled stop this week at the Tour de Suisse. Originally left off the VSP roster, it was decided among the Keepers that the ‘fourth Grand Tour’ is indeed worthy of inclusion in our humble tipping competition. As one of the final hit-outs for many Tour de France contenders, the Swiss race shows who might be ready to step up in July, who’s needing to pull their finger out, and who might be targeting this race as a worthy addition to their palmares. With a couple of TT’s, stages that could go to the sprinters or a daring breakaway, and some of the most picturesque mountain passes in Europe, it has something for everyone, and anyone could win.
Can Motorcus find an ‘extra gear’ and back up his 09 victory? Will the EgoTesticle show signs of his old self on the bike, or just behave like his old self off it? And are the Brothers Grimpeur finally going to do something, anything?
Let us know your thoughts, and make your picks to pick up a sweet Obey The Rules bumper sticker, in the posts section on this page. For a full rundown on the competition scoring etc, visit our VSP Schedule, Rules and Results page.
Good luck!
@frank @guy
I sued to love the idea of Rapha and I still really like what Rouleur do, but…I starting to struggle to understand them. I’ve always wondered how they could possibly exist in the UK, there just didn’t seem to be the market for them to be able to promote themselves as they do and rumours out there would suggest that they really need to get their boutique shops and sales in America working well and quickly.
@frank
the keepers are going to be in Belgium next spring? Might have to make the journey there as well.
@Jarvis. If yesterday was any indication there are a lot of people buying. It was very busy at the tills.
@frank
@frank – your handy lines are only relative to the camera angle – compare them to the road markings – both riders are veering almost equally – that said I still think Cav more to blame….also question whether his wheel folded before impact?
crikey, Kim Kirchen had a suspected heart attack last night. Currently in hospital in zurich, but stable
That’s pretty scary: I hope he’s okay. Is it too callous for me to make a change?
1. Fabian Cancellara
2. Robert Gesink
3. Roman Kreuziger
4. Christian Vande Velde
5. Kim Kirchen””replace with Jakob Bugle song
@frank: oh buddy, that is freakin incredible!
That is a dream come true!! Not only to ride the cobbles but to be on the Muur and slapping their arse up the mother!!! My buddies would die at home to see that
Keep me posted, seriously, i need time to set my calendar and procure the funds/time from my wife etc….
whats the best way to stay posted??
Man, am I fucking gutted today or what.
Shot a wedding yesterday and was setting a shot up outside, walked backwards to get the angle I wanted and my left foot went into a hidden drain cover causing me to fall with it trapped in there and twist horribly. It’s swollen up big time now and badly bruised.
Fuck.
We’re going to start needing a Sickbay/Bench on here, for all those with injuries.
@Guy Been following your immanent Etape and this really is a drag. If it happened in the bedroom I’d say harden up but at work, just the worst. Ice her up stay off as much as possible and remember it may not behave badly on the bike – hope it is not that bad and you have time – this is not the worst because sometime time off the bike is ok and makes you rested and strong when you start up. Just have to let go the planned training and relax in the knowledge that it will be fine – good luck!
Cheers gents. Spoke to a mate of mine who’s a physio and he’s advised 3 days off the bike with RICE as much as possible. It does seem very unlikely that it’ll impact the Etape ride, and I did manage to save the camera and still shoot the wedding.
So, Rule #5 as applied to photography.
@Guy
Hang in there. I had a bad sprain this past spring. On crutches for almost two weeks before I started limping everywhere. I found, however, that once the swelling had gone down, I could pedal. Bumps were a little sore for awhile, but you can get on the bike. Yes: RICE and stay off it and you should be okay. Good luck!
I’m walking on it ok this morning, not much pain at all, just some swelling.
Congrats Frank. Armstrong down 12 sec to F Schleck. *^$^%$!!!
@results
Arse
@all
WFT?? The Keepers are out for a day suffering like Sweet Baby Jesus on the Cross, and I come back and my boy won the race?? No idea what happened; I’ll have to sync up and then I’ll get the VSP results out later today.
I can’t believe Pharmdog got second and did Gesink fall off his bike?
@frank says, “No idea what happened.” Perhaps F. Schleck went to the Alberto Contador school on time-trailing for wafer thin, wimpy little guys with no muscle whatsoever.
@david
More like Guns of Navarone.
@all
Christ. I have to upgrade my VSP tracking software. This was epic, we showed some newcomers (Andy) and others coming in and staring to close down the gap to Rob.
Rob managed to maintain his lead in the overall VSP, while newcomer Velominatus Andy won the Obey the Rules bumper sticker. Good work, mate!
1 Frank: 10 points
2 Andy: 7 points
3 Brett: 2 points
4 Marko: 2 points
5 Rob: 2 points
6 Marcus: 2 points
7 John: 1 point
8 Geof: 1 point
9 Robert Marques: 1 point
10 Steampunk: 1 point
11 David: 1 point
12 Nathan Edwards: 0 points
13 Jarvis: 0 points
14 Joe: 0 points
15 Souleur: 0 points
16 Ben: 0 points
17 Crossy: 0 points
18 Dale: 0 points
I bow down to you Frank you are so way out front! The pressure continues and now that Pharmstrong is looking like his old self the tour picks are just going to be that much more difficult…
Andy, well done, enjoy the bumper sticker it gets a good reaction.
@all
The overall standings have been published; it is confirmed that Rob is still overall leader and Andy should be expecting his sticker soon.
Well done everyone – see you all back here in July! It’s going to be a beyhatch to figure the wins there.
now if I’d only remembered to put a few quid on Schleck senior…
I can’t wait for the Tour to start, i’ve got my Flanders and Basque flags out in anticipation!
@andy
Nice picks for Switzerland! I’ll be withholding my TdF picks until I’ve seen yours…
Hey is anybody double checking Franks scores? I am going to my bookie with his picks for the TdF.
Best reaction I’ve had to mine so far: “Are you a cop?” (“Piss off – I’m a Rule Holist” didn’t seem like a helpful answer, so I just said “Er, no”.)
Well, I was crap!
On another topic. Not sure if any of you lot caught up with this TdF Fantasy game last year http://sbs.com.au/tdf/fantasy
I have set up a mini-league, happy for all and sundry to join.
Go to the game http://sbs.com.au/tdf/fantasy ,pick your team then use the ‘mini-league admin’ option to join my mini-league.
The details you need are:
League Name: Super Domestique
League password: jens01
It doesn’t cost anything – plus there are some great prizes to win!
Wait, you’re going to spend some amount of your time constructing a fantasy team for the TdF? And, you’re going to invest yourself, psychologically, in this “team” scoring point for you? Are you unemployed, on the dole? If you are, you should be ridding 6-8 hours per day and should not concern yourself with such nonsense. Jesus Christ. Harden the fuck up.
@david
cool
@Rob
You guys totally SHOULD double-check my scores. I did my best, but who knows. Plus, Marko was over and Marko, my Velomihottie, and I were undergoing a bout of savage drinking at the time, so anything is possible.
@frank Its not about your math, no matter how drunk you were – its about where you are getting your info and if you have an inside track to team politics and the deals being cut in the peloton? Your score is so far out front that we have to question your sources… I mean your wasting the likes of Brett, John, Geof and they are students of the pro game. You have led the results by wide margins in 4 out of 6 races and in the other 2 you have not been last. I’m just saying….
I think there should be an inquiry and a grand jury convened to make sure this Competition is not rigged!! Mind I am not complaining I still have the awesome world champ jersey by the skin of my teeth and the fact that you are not subject to our plebian level.
On another subject do we get a report (and images) on the gathering of the inner circle of the Velominati?
@Rob
Naming both Frankie-boy and Gaysink in the top five in their respective places was blind luck. I pretty much just voted with my heart and tempered it with a light (very light) touch of reality which is the only reason I didn’t put those two lads in 1-2.
We have a full account of the madness coming shortly; including pictures and video. Stand by.
My goodness, does John ever have a magnificent stroke. You trained him well.
Clairvoyantical doping?
@Geof
No point investigating: Frank’s already paid the UCI off.
@Steampunk
It was just a donation. Pat has the receipt. Nothing to see here, folks. Move along …
@Geof
True enough. Besides: he’s never tested positive. Now, only if he had a bitter and ostracized former friend…
@Steampunk
“I was once required to deliver a ouja board to Frank”.
“Frank showed me how to conduct a micro-sceances and autologous spirit transfusions.”
“I had to look after Frank’s tarot cards while he was on holiday.”
Now that WOULD be a story…
Can’t wait and I can take no credit for johns wicked stroke he is all self trained. In fact with his awesome physique it is a fucking miracle that he looks as brilliant on a bike as he does! I’d give credit to Velominati and the rules but he was the man who wrote Rule #5 and I think he became awesome when he moved up from the champagne Peugeot to the Merlin… and that was years ago. I think he is on something else now?
I just got Velonews’ Tour de France Official Guide. I’m so bewildered by the TdF VSP picks, I was looking for some help. Paid freakin’ nine bucks for it. I can’t find anything good in it that I have not gotten by reading Velonews or Cyclingnews daily, except for an article on Wiggins. It’s got interview extracts I have not seen yet. Waste.
Wiggins, though, is really talking smack. In fact, I nominate him for Pre-Tour COTHO.
“Looking back now, Wiggins believes he could have even challenged for the victory in 2009. . . . “I felt at the time I could have gone with Contador when he attacked at Andorra. But I was like, ‘No, no, no. Don’t be stupid.’ . . . . ‘The first two weeks, . . . I never pushed it, even when I was really good at the Tour. I just stayed on the safe side of caution. I stayed on the defensive.”
Hmm. But in the third week, when you could have attacked the old man to get on the podium, you were what???
Wiggins: “Well, it was just for third place at that point. Third, fourth, what’s the difference.”
No, I just made that up.
Actual quote.
“I think JV [Jonathan Vaughters] really understood why I had to leave,” Wiggins said. “There were certain things that he couldn’t do for me. There were certain things he wanted me to do that I was never going to be willing to do.”
The prediction about the TdF I’m most confident in is that Wiggins and Sky are going to crash and burn.
@david
Don’t always agree with someone who regards Rule Holism as “the dark side”, but I just can’t get on the Twiggo train. Ever since he bailed from JV after JV had seemingly rescued him from what was rapidly turning into another “failed to make the transition from the track” story. I don’t blame him for wanting to follow the money. But it’s poor form to follow it prematurely.