One of the loveliest things about the Grand Tours is that you get a feel, by the nature of the route, of the country’s landscape and physical qualities. Italy is littered with mountains and coasts, France is bordered by mountains with large swaths of open landscape throughout, and Spain is like Tatooine; mostly desert with some rocky outcroppings. I might be oversimplifying here, but it seems like every edition of the Vuelta features a week or two of riders cutting through open desert on a freeway and then finishing it off with some climbs that require a buzz-saw gear to get up. Of the three Tours, this one is my least favorite, but it’s a bike race and I loves me a bike race.
The Vuelta also stands apart as being the event which generally decides the Velominati Super Prestige GC and the personalized Shop Apron that goes with it; in past editions, we’ve even had newcomers to the event debut at the Vuelta and win the overall, as was the case last year with @Nate’s performance. Unless I have that wrong, in which case I don’t really care. The important point here is that even though there is less interest in this event than others, it matters quite a bit to the year-long VSP, so you better be paying attention, corporal.
No fancy prizes on offer as we did at the Tour, but we do have our customary Symbol Pack up for grabs, in addition to second and third places winning a pair of Handlebar Cufflinks each when they come available in a few weeks. So, check the race details, get your picks in by the time the countdown clock goes to zero (5am Pacific time on Saturday), and buckle in for the ride. Regular GT VSP rules apply. Good luck.
I know as well as any of you that I've been checked out lately, kind…
Peter Sagan has undergone quite the transformation over the years; starting as a brash and…
The Women's road race has to be my favorite one-day road race after Paris-Roubaix and…
Holy fuckballs. I've never been this late ever on a VSP. I mean, I've missed…
This week we are currently in is the most boring week of the year. After…
I have memories of my life before Cycling, but as the years wear slowly on…
View Comments
VSP PICKS (1st Rest Day Swaps):
1. Contador
2. Froome
3. Rodriguez
4. Valverde
5. De Gendt
VSP PICKS (1st Rest Day Swaps):
1. Froome
2. Contador
3. Jrod
4. Valverde
5. Gesink
I am going to regret this change.
VSP PICKS (1st Rest Day Swaps):
1. Froome
2. Purito
3. Contador
4. Valverde
5. Maxime Monfort
Well I Delgadoed the first picks so there's no point in going for the same choice as everyone else - I think the 25 point penalty is technically impossible to overcome anyway, unless I correctly pick the rider, the place, his favourite colour and what he had for breakfast, unless it is a Tuesday in which case it would be lunch.
So there we go - one banker and four crazy wild cards. I think I would piss myself laughing if Nico Roche actually podiumed.
VSP PICKS (1st Rest Day Swaps):
1. Contador
2. Gesink
3. Roche
4. Capecchi
5. Nocentini
After the Tour VSP I vowed never to make a rest day swap again.
That being said I have to get De Gendt out and put Valverde in.
VSP PICKS (1st Rest Day Swaps):
1. A. Contador
2. A. Valverde
3. J. Rod
4. Froome
5. Van den Broeck
VSP PICKS (1st Rest Day Swaps):
1. Conti
2. Valverde
3. Igor
4. Roche
5. Dekker
Going to stick, can't afford the penalty.
makin some changes....stupid VDB, had to lose all those minutes
VSP PICKS (1st Rest Day Swaps):
1. Contadorrrrr
2. Purito
3. Froome
4. Valverde
5. Roche
I've been dog sitting at a house that has the Universal Sports channel so I've been watching the race on real TV instead of the computer. I must say that the last two stages were pretty awesome. J-Rod and Valverde blowing by Contador in the last 50m Saturday and then Fast Phil finally getting a win and all is well with cycling (other headline grabbing stories notwithstanding).
VSP PICKS (1st Rest Day Swaps):
1. Bertie
2. Froome
3. J Rod
4. Valve Cap
5. Cobo