Velominati Super Prestige: VVomen’s Ronde van Vlaanderen 2014
Vlaanderen. Its no accident the Flemish word for Flanders starts with a V; there is nothing simple or easy about riding a bike here. If it isn’t wind, its steep bergs. If it isn’t tarmac, its cobbles. Most of the time, its all three. Oh, and the weather there sucks. In fact, Flanders doesn’t have weather – it has VVeather.
De Ronde and Roubaix are the hardest races of the year, and the natural inclination is to assume de Ronde might be the harder of the two due to the combination of cobbles and steep roads. But the cobbles in Belgium are flatter and better laid than those of Roubaix, and the climbs are short enough that you can hide on them. I say you can hide here, but there really isn’t any hiding on cobbles – what I mean is that you can drift through the groups and stay in contact even if you’re a little bit behind your form. I think that’s the secret to the men doing the double – hiding here while still looking for the last 1% of form – then then peaking for Roubaix.
But who gives a flying fuck about the Men? We’re here to talk about the women, who get to race this course a few hours earlier in the day. Elizabeth Armistead knows how to ride a bike, and she’s been winning or getting second places all season long. For her efforts, she’s racing in the World Cup leader’s jersey on Sunday. Lizzy is a waify little thing and I have my doubts she can put up the power you need on a course as demanding as this, but when you’ve got the form you can make anything happen. I’m also putting my money on a timely Evie Stevens performance. But no one can deny Vos will try to repeat after taking the win last year.
The points from the VVomen’s RVV count towards the overall prizes plus the winner of this event also gets to post for the rest of the year in the oh-so-sexy Lioness of Flanders badge. So check the start list, review the VSP Scoring Guidelines and get your picks in by the time the countdown clock goes to zero at midnight PDT on Sunday the 30th. If you think we mapped one of your picks wrong, use the dispute system and we’ll review it. Also remember to be precise enough in your description so we know which rider you mean; in other words, if you enter “Martin”, we will use our discretion (read: wild guess) to decide if you mean Tony or Dan – and that choice will not be negotiable once the the countdown clock goes to zero, so be sure to give yourself enough time.
Don’t forget we’ve got three major prizes for the season-long VSP:
- First place overall wins a Veloforma Strada iR Velominati Edition frame in addition to the customary VSP winner’s VVorkshop Apron
- Second place overall wins a set of hand built CR Wheelworks Arenberg wheelset in a custom Velominati paint scheme laced to orange Chris King hubs. (CR Wheelworks is Café Roubaix’s new wheel goods brand.)
- Third place overall wins a full Velominati V-Kit with accompanying custom orange Bont Vaypor+ road shoes.
Good luck, have fun with it, and don’t lose your Rule #43 spirit.
[vsp_results id=”29423″/]
VSP PICKS:
1. Armistead
2. Johansson
3. Anna van der Breggen
4. Stevens
5. Hall
VSP PICKS:
1. Vos
2. Armistead
3. Johansson
4. Van Dijk
5. Borghini
VSP PICKS:
1. Johansson
2. Borghini
3. van Dijk
4. Armistead
5. Stevens
VSP PICKS:
1. Armistead
2. Johanson
3. borghini
4. K Wild
5. Stevens
VSP PICKS:
1. Johanson
2. Borghini
3. Stevens
4. Armistead
5. Van Dijk
VSP PICKS:
1. johansson
2. armitstead
3. van dijk
4. borghini
5. stevens
VSP PICKS:
1. Van Dijk
2. Johansson
3. Lizzie A
4. Bronzini
5. Cromwell
VSP PICKS:
1. Armistead E
2. Johansson E
3. Van Dijk E
4. Van der Breggen A
5. Longo Borghini E
Here goes nuttin’
VSP PICKS:
1. Van dijk
2. Armistead
3. Johansson
4. Bronzini
5. Stevens
VSP PICKS:
1. Armistead
2. Johansen
3. Van Dijk
4. Borghini
5. Stevens
Picks:
VSP PICKS:
1. Johansson
2. Armistead
3. Van Dijk
4. Borghini
5. Moolman
VSP PICKS:
1. Van Dijk
2. Armitstead
3. Johansson
4. Longo Borghini
5. Van der Breggen
VSP PICKS:
1. EMMA JOHANSSON
2. ELLEN VAN DIJK
3. ELISA LONGO BORGHINI
4. KIRSTEN WILD
5. LIESBETH DE VOCHT
VSP PICKS:
1. Johanasson
2. Armistead
3. Van Dijk
4. Borghini
5. Stevens
My picks-
VSP PICKS:
1. Armitstead
2. Stevens
3. Van Dijk
4. Johanssen
5. Borghini
VSP PICKS:
1. Armitstead
2. Johansson
3. Stevens
4. Borghini
5. Van Dijk
Van Dijk solos to the win, Armitstead sits on then wins the small group sprint for second.
VSP PICKS:
1. Ellen Van Dijk
2. Lizzie Armitstead
3. Kirsten Wild
4. Emma Johanssen
5. Marianne Vos
VSP PICKS:
1. Van DIjk
2. Vos
3. Armistead
4. Stevens
5. Borghini
VSP PICKS:
1. Armistead
2. Johansson
3. van dijk
4. Borghini
5. pieters
VSP PICKS:
1. Van Dijk
2. Johansson
3. Lizzie A
4. Van dear breggen
5. Pieters
The route looks like someone threw spaghetti at a map, trying to hit Oudenaarde.
VSP PICKS:
1. Lizzie Armitstead
2. Ellen van Dijk
3. Emma Johansson
4. Anna van der Breggen
5. Elisa Longo Borghini
VSP PICKS:
1. Lizzie Armitstead
2. Annemiek Van Vleuten
3. Emma Johansson
4. Jolien D’Hoore
5. Roxanne Knetemann
VSP PICKS:
1. Armitstead
2. Emma Johansson
3. van der Breggen
4. Kirsten Wild
5. van Dijk
VSP PICKS:
1. Evie Stevens
2. Armistead
3. Van Dijk
4. Johansson
5. Longo Borghini
VSP PICKS:
1. Anna van der Breggen
2. . ELISA LONGO BORGHINI
3. Emma Johansson
4. Annemiek Van Vleuten
5. Kirsten Wild
Vuck knows…
VSP PICKS:
1. VanDijk
2. EVie SteVie
3. Vos
4. JoVhansson
5. Van Vleuten
VSP PICKS:
1. Johansson
2. Armitstead
3. K. Wild
4. Van der Breggen
5. Longo Borghini
VSP PICKS:
1. Borghini
2. Armistead
3. Van Dijk
4. Stevens
5. Johansson
VSP PICKS:
1. Johansson
2. Van Djik
3. Armistead
4. Longo Borghini
5. Stevens
VSP PICKS:
1. Lizzie Armistead
2. Evelyn Stevens
3. Anna Van Der Breggan
4. Elisa Longo Borghini
5. Marijin De Vries
Let the ladies hit the cobbles!
VSP PICKS:
1. Elisabeth Armistead
2. Emma Johansson
3. Evelyn Stevens
4. Elisa Longo Borghini
5. Ellen Van Dijk
VSP PICKS:
1. Ellen Van Dijk
2. Evelyn Stevens
3. Emma Johansson
4. Armistead
5. Wild
VSP PICKS:
1. Van Dijk
2. Armistead
3. Johansson
4. Borghini
5. Wild
VSP PICKS:
1. Johansson
2. van Dijk
3. Stevens
4. Wild
5. Cromwell
Tough day out for the ladies. Hope I can find some live feed tomorrow morning. I’ll watch both!
VSP PICKS:
1. Longo-Borghini
2. Johansson
3. Stevens
4. Wild
5. Van Vleuten
I beliEvie.
VSP PICKS:
1. Evie Stevens
2. Emma Jo
3. Longo_Borghini
4. Van Dijk
5. Armstead
VSP PICKS:
1. Emma Johansson
2. Van Dijk
3. Longo Borghini
4. Gunnewijk
5. Ratto
VSP PICKS:
1. van Dijk
2. Johansson
3. Borghini
4. van der Breggen
5. Armistead
VSP PICKS:
1. Vos
2. Johansson
3. Van Dijik
4. Borghini
5. Stevens, Evie
I thought I saw Marjin De Vries on the start list earlier this week, but I don’t see her on the list today. Substituting Anna van der Breggen.
VSP PICKS:
1. Lizzie Armitstead
2. Ellen van Dijk
3. Emma Johansson
4. Elisa Longo Borghini
5. Anna van der Breggen
VSP PICKS:
1. E Armistead
2. E Johansson
3. I Slappendel
4. T Antoshina
5. G Bronzini
VSP PICKS:
1. Emma Johansson
2. Ellen van Dijk
3. Elizabeth Armitstead
4. Anna van der Breggen
5. Elisa Longo Borghini
VSP PICKS:
1. Emma Johannson
2. Lizzie Armistead
3. Ellen Van Dijk
4. Annemiek Van Vleuten
5. Anna Van Der Breggen
What’s up with Mary V?
VSP PICKS:
1. Lizzie ArmiTstead
2. Emma Johansson
3. Ellen van Dijk
4. Evelyn Stevens
5. Kirsten Wild
VSP PICKS:
1. Armistead
2. Johansson
3. Vos
4. Borghini
5. Stevens
VSP PICKS:
1. Stevens
2. Johansson
3. Armitstead
4. Van Vleuten
5. Hall
Maximum points for sure…
Rolled a dice….
VSP PICKS:
1. Bizzy Lizzy (Armistead)
2. Even Stevens
3. Johansson (Emma)
4. Lamborghini
5. Van Dijk Chick