Velominati Super Prestige: Vuelta a España 2016
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!
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Had a hard time leaving out Froome, but here they are…
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Dice rolled….
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Let’s face it, I ain’t gonna win the GC. I’m going for the stage win.
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@DVMR
Looks like Landa isn’t riding due to injury: http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/peraud-to-end-career-after-vuelta-a-espana-news-shorts/
What are you talking about, the Tour was great!? Sure the GC was wrapped early, but every day had something amazing happen. I loved it.
@LeoTea
Ahh shite!
Thanks for the heads up!
@LeoTea
Ahh shite!
Thanks for the heads up!
Off to a good start then…
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Froome to finally look up from stem and see Bertie riding off into the distance.
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1. Froome
2. Chavez
3. Quintana
4. Valverde
5. Yates
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Two Dutchmen in the top five. Who would’ve thought that.
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and Adam Hansen, this will be 16, wow, just wow.
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Instead of Delgado, here’s my Nitro-list
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May change this, got a feeling this needs more wild cards.
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Gone for a wild card at 5 but hey he who dares finishes mid-table I believe,,,,
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Cue throwing darts at names in a hat (or something…)
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Should be a scrap…
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There is nothing wrong with being a grumpy old man…
And what the hell is going on? Nobody commenting on a few of the past articles, but now everyone is entering picks? This is a community for discussing and arguing, not a fantasy sports site!
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@Oli
Sorry Frank, I’m with Oli on this point. The Tour this year was a fantastic collection of one day races, full of phenomenal performances from unlikely places. From GVAs days, Cummings win from the break, Froome’s stunning descent which caught everyone off guard, Orica’s tactical masterpiece to have 3 out of 6 in the break, to Dumoulin’s uphill win through rain and hail, the race was full of great racing (though most of what I include was just the first week!). Ignore the GC ‘battle’, and this years tour was one to remember.
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