Velominati Super Prestige: Vuelta a España 2016

Platinum blond Frankie VDB goes deep in the Spanish desert.

The Vuelta is my least favorite Grand Tour. I say this every year, I know. And every year, circumstances make it look an awful lot like I could be wrong about that. Circumstances like, for instance, the fact that the GC almost always comes down to a nail-biting final few days, or someone comes from far down the classification to upset the standings on a transition stage, like Contador did a few years back.

Still, there is no denying that it has the least prestige of the three Grand Tours; any rider who has won the Tour de France would have no trouble finding a contract for years to come, and the same goes for the Giro to a lesser extent. Yet, I can think of two Vuelta winners – if not three – in the last decade who were without a contract the following year or were forced to resign themselves to racing on a lower-ranked team.

I blame my dislike for the Vuelta on Spain’s geography; those rains in Spain that fall mainly in the plains are also the plains in Spain that host stages on roads so flat and straight that you get the idea half the peloton would be happy to wrap a bungee cord around their handlebars and take a nap. Yet, some of the most brutal climbs are found along its parcours and those brutal climbs make for some wildly fantastic racing.

So I’m not saying I’m changing my mind about the Vuelta, but it can’t be worse than the Tour was this year.

Anyway, don’t mind this grumpy old man; prognosticate on the start list, get your picks in, sit back, and enjoy the racing. Good luck!

[vsp_results id=”73002″/]

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

Rick says:

Sep 6 2016 at 3:59 pm
VSP PICKS (2nd Rest Day Swaps):
1. Quintana
2. Froome
3. Contadore
4. Chaves
5. Yates
Randy C says:

Sep 6 2016 at 7:07 pm
VSP PICKS (2nd Rest Day Swaps):
1. Contador
2. Esteban Chavez
3. Chris Froome
4. Miguel Angel Lopez
5. Simon Yates
KogaLover says:

Sep 6 2016 at 11:50 pm
Partial NITRO but do not want to waste

too many points; just swapped Crashwijk for Yates.

VSP PICKS (2nd Rest Day Swaps):
1. Contador
2. Froome
3. Quintana
4. Chaves
5. Simon Yates
Randy C says:

Sep 7 2016 at 4:29 am

I think I'm gonna start drinking diesel fuel for breakfast with hopes I could ride like big ol' Mr Stannard. Ya'll catch his win yesterday? Maybe it's just me thinking this but sure was so much unlike all the solo breakaways we see televised lately with the attackers furiously pedaling away. There's Ian mashing a big gear and barely turning it over it would seem (?) Just watching it I'm saying to myself, dang man, get on it… well apparently he was! What a cool dude. Cheers all.
chris says:

Sep 7 2016 at 5:19 am

@Randy C

I think I’m gonna start drinking diesel fuel for breakfast with hopes I could ride like big ol’ Mr Stannard. Ya’ll catch his win yesterday? Maybe it’s just me thinking this but sure was so much unlike all the solo breakaways we see televised lately with the attackers furiously pedaling away. There’s Ian mashing a big gear and barely turning it over it would seem (?) Just watching it I’m saying to myself, dang man, get on it… well apparently he was! What a cool dude. Cheers all.

A lot of KOM's for a "Lunch Ride"! And at that pace it's no wonder he looked completely cooked at the end and in the post race intervals.

Strong work and somewhat reminiscent of him crushing Ettix with that big gear of his.
Ron says:

Sep 7 2016 at 10:58 am

I gotta go back and watch that recent stage. GC contenders attacking from the gun? WOW!
RobSandy says:

Sep 8 2016 at 2:54 am

@chris

@Randy C

I think I’m gonna start drinking diesel fuel for breakfast with hopes I could ride like big ol’ Mr Stannard. Ya’ll catch his win yesterday? Maybe it’s just me thinking this but sure was so much unlike all the solo breakaways we see televised lately with the attackers furiously pedaling away. There’s Ian mashing a big gear and barely turning it over it would seem (?) Just watching it I’m saying to myself, dang man, get on it… well apparently he was! What a cool dude. Cheers all.

A lot of KOM’s for a “Lunch Ride“! And at that pace it’s no wonder he looked completely cooked at the end and in the post race intervals.

Strong work and somewhat reminiscent of him crushing Ettix with that big gear of his.

Glad someone else mentioned this - I fucking love Stannard. He makes me feel a lot better about myself. He doesn't ride a bike with elegance or grace or souplesse - he rides a bike like he's trying to break it.

Great win, great bloke.
chris says:

Sep 8 2016 at 3:06 am

@RobSandy

@chris

@Randy C

I think I’m gonna start drinking diesel fuel for breakfast with hopes I could ride like big ol’ Mr Stannard. Ya’ll catch his win yesterday? Maybe it’s just me thinking this but sure was so much unlike all the solo breakaways we see televised lately with the attackers furiously pedaling away. There’s Ian mashing a big gear and barely turning it over it would seem (?) Just watching it I’m saying to myself, dang man, get on it… well apparently he was! What a cool dude. Cheers all.

A lot of KOM’s for a “Lunch Ride“! And at that pace it’s no wonder he looked completely cooked at the end and in the post race intervals.

Strong work and somewhat reminiscent of him crushing Ettix with that big gear of his.

He makes me feel a lot better about myself. He doesn’t ride a bike with elegance or grace or souplesse – he rides a bike like he’s trying to break it.

So true. I aspire to the stroke of Maître Jacques but comfort myself with the knowledge that Stannard can stomp his way to victory.

I do need to spend a lot of time on my rollers this winter, though. That's the key to a more magnificent stroke for me.
Teocalli says:

Sep 8 2016 at 3:27 am

@chris

So true. I aspire to the stroke of Maître Jacques but ......

That could be wilfully misconstrued.........
RobSandy says:

Sep 8 2016 at 3:31 am

@chris

So true. I aspire to the stroke of Maître Jacques but comfort myself with the knowledge that Stannard can stomp his way to victory.

I do need to spend a lot of time on my rollers this winter, though. That’s the key to a more magnificent stroke for me.

I plan to ride fixed on the track once a week, that should help. Mind you, elegance can get you so far but there's no substitute for POWER. I wish I had a fraction of the leg power big Yogi must have.

I've worked out a description of how Stannard rides - like he's trying to crush his bike into a very small cube with his legs and his arms.