Velominati Super Prestige: Vuelta a España 2012

Nibbles wins the 2010 edition of the Vuelta. Photo: Cyclesport Mag

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.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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View Comments

Gianni says:

Sep 9 2012 at 10:26 am

The placing haven't changed since the last update. @San Tonio is a f'ing genius. He must be on the juice to pull this off.

Let the weeping begin...

[vsp_results id="20426"]
[/vsp_results]
[vsp_gc]
[/vsp_gc]
San Tonio says:

Sep 9 2012 at 1:37 pm

@Gianni

Thank You very much.

The VSP for the Vuelta has been wildly pleasurable for me. I won the Vuelta VSP by picking the top 4 riders in order and let this show that you can swap riders and be successful. If I hadn't swapped out De Gendt for Valverde on he first rest day swap I would have earned only 37 points and finished just off the top spot.
Buck Rogers says:

Sep 9 2012 at 3:23 pm

Ah Hell! Call me the Nico Roche of the VSP! Just hanging on to a top ten spot and doomed to blow it in the home stretch! May the Gods of Spanish steak be kind to me over the coming month!
motor city says:

Sep 9 2012 at 11:52 pm

Bertie and his Bovril filled Bidons has fucked my VSP GC standing.

@San Tonio Chapeau.

I really enjoyed the Vuelta this year, some great racing.
Tartan1749 says:

Sep 11 2012 at 5:31 am

SeÃ±orita, I am sorry for the mess - can I get you a towel?
unversio says:

Sep 11 2012 at 8:50 am

@Tartan1749 The "perks" of being on the podium.
Bianchi Denti says:

Sep 14 2012 at 1:09 am

@meursault

@Ron

LA Dave - I watched the "Call me Maybe" song and dance from Green Edge and wondered why Gerro wasn't in it. Didn't realize it was all filmed at the Vuelta...and that Gerro was off winning in Quebec!

Great finish to today's stage. It's truly shocking to see such talented riders dissolve into turning squares like that. Definitely know the pitch was crazy, but they still always seem beyond breaking.

Nice win for Dennis!

For anyone who hasn't seen it. Imlac had a little moan up on ITV4 highlights, saying it's un-professional for a team that hasn't won much. Don't agree though, looks good team building to me.

Are we still on "CallMeMaybe-gate"? Warning: not cycling-related.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hX1YVzdnpEc&playnext=1&list=PL101A972900C580CA&feature=results_video
Deakus says:

Jan 23 2013 at 1:14 am

Vuelta 2013 has been announced and it looks like another very lumpy one...be interesting to see how the Schlecks go for it and I wondered why in Bradleys announcement about the Giro the other day he had suddently stopped talking about La Vuelta...

He has already pegged his colours to the Giro and confirmed Froomedog is number one for the Tour...so who from Sky goes for La Vuelta? Froome will be tired from the Tour and Wiggo may find it tough against the pure out and out climbers on such a mountainous circuit.

However the joy will be once again watching them commit suicide on the Angliru!
Deakus says:

Jan 23 2013 at 1:15 am

@Deakus

Vuelta 2013 has been announced and it looks like another very lumpy one...be interesting to see how the Schlecks go for it and I wondered why in Bradleys announcement about the Giro the other day he had suddently stopped talking about La Vuelta...

He has already pegged his colours to the Giro and confirmed Froomedog is number one for the Tour...so who from Sky goes for La Vuelta? Froome will be tired from the Tour and Wiggo may find it tough against the pure out and out climbers on such a mountainous circuit.

However the joy will be once again watching them commit suicide on the Angliru!

Might help if I posted the link!

http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/vuelta-a-espana-2013
Deakus says:

Jan 29 2013 at 12:24 am

Just stumbled across this. It is by no means difinitive, and I have no idea what they are saying but it may shed a little light on the mystery of Berties breakaway and how it was allowed to happen on Stage 17 of the 2012 Vuelta.

It looks as if he rode from somewhere in the peloton i.e. it was so early in the day neither he nor JR were at the front yet, and JR and Menchov just let him go, not quite knowing why...gutsy move if you ask me and sly as a foxes socks!

(Anyone speak enough spanish to translate?)