Velominati Super Prestige: Vuelta a España 2015

Meanwhile in Spain...

This is the best Cycling photo in the history of time. If you’re wondering why, then we’re probably not looking at the same photo. I am pretty sure the guy playing guitar is the Dos Equis guy.

Anyway, nothing that cool will happen during this year’s Vuelta, although we’ll get to watch more lightbulb-humping, if that’s any consolation (it isn’t). But we do get to treat ourselves to the third and final Grand Tour of 2015 which is exactly as depressing as it is exciting. I’m also not going to remind anyone that I don’t really like the Vuelta because the last two times I said that, the race turned out to be terrific.

The VSP keeps on keepin’ on as well, with big points on offer for the Jaegher frame, Café Roubaix wheelset, or V-Kit. Anything can happen, and in past years we’ve seen the Vuelta be the deciding factor in winning the overall VSP; @Minnesota Expat holds a solid lead over @dancollins, a past winner. @Steampunk holds third over a tight field behind him and here’s hoping our Aussie Keeper @brett can finally put a point on the board as well, which would see him hoist himself out of the Lanterne Rouge. (I actually had to do some coding to give him his Keeper’s badge back, which is something I hadn’t anticipated when I designed the system, needless to say.)

So, study the start list, put in your picks by the time the clock goes to zero, and good luck.

Teaser shots of the Jaegher frame:

Teaser shots of the CR Wheelworks Arenbergs:

[vsp_results id=”33481″/]

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

Daccordi Rider says:

Sep 8 2015 at 8:22 pm

C'mon Purito!!
il muro di manayunk says:

Sep 8 2015 at 8:57 pm

Mierda! I missed the swap deadline.
KogaLover says:

Sep 9 2015 at 12:11 am

Was abroad for work so delgadoed the second swap... Still some people think Nibali will return???
JonnyG says:

Sep 9 2015 at 1:25 am

The 10 point penalty means it not worth swapping him unless you had him first or second place. Same reason I didn't take Froome out.
Mikael Liddy says:

Sep 9 2015 at 7:25 am

@frank

@Harminator, @Mikael Liddy

Can I just say I feel a little awakening of some Dirty Schlecky Love! Its been since 2011 last time I saw one of those twigs win something! That was a cracking ride today!

Haha, thought you may have enjoyed that. That last climb looked fucking brutal, watching guys like Schleck & Purito just about come to a standstill gives you a fair idea of how bloody steep it was!
John Irvine says:

Sep 9 2015 at 8:46 am

From a one second gap to a three second gap. Nice race.
Al__S says:

Sep 9 2015 at 8:49 am

3 seconds. Still some nasty mountains, but the finishes are all downhill. We've had good Grand Tours this year. But these last few days will be something else entirely
Al__S says:

Sep 9 2015 at 8:58 am

@Minnesota Expat

@Al__S

he’s a gonner. He’s tweeted to say he needed crutches last night. Fair play to him, crashing at the start and then riding THAT stage on legs that were clearly fucked up takes some doing.

Really. You break a bone in your foot, at the beginning of the toughest stage in recent grand tour history, and you finish?! What was he thinking?! You don’t have to like Froome, he might ride ugly and have the personality of a cement block, but this should erase any doubts, Froome is one tough mofo. My only complaint is his timing. The day after the 5-point first rest day swap?! Really?! And now we find out Quintana has diarrhea?

I know. Madness. Presumably the medical car doesn't hand out painkillers stronger than paracetamol? He didn't just roll in with the gruppetto, he came 32 less than 9 minutes down.
ped says:

Sep 9 2015 at 10:43 am

Great ride by alejandro, that's all that needs to be said, I think
DeKerr says:

Sep 9 2015 at 12:23 pm

Well, I'm fucked (not that I was in the running for anything)