Velominati Super Prestige

Velominati Super Prestige: 2011 Women’s Elite Worlds Road Race

Nicole Cooke beats Marianne Vos to the line. Photo: Cor Vos

Google Image Search Marianne Vos and you will turn up a mountain of photos of her throwing her arms aloft in victory aboard every kind of bicycle you can imagine. Road racing, Cyclocross, Track; she’s been World Champion in every discipline I can think of without trying very hard to think of every discipline. She’s even been Dutch National Champion in Mountain Biking, although if you’ve ever been to the Netherlands, you might have noticed a paucity of mountains, so I’m not sure how significant that accomplishment is. I suppose, however, that this is a bit of a redundant discussion since she’s Dutch, and that’s already the same as saying she’s Awesome.

In the other corner, we have Nicole Cooke; a woman who’s palmeres on Wikipedia fills up three entire rows to Vos’s measly two. She’s been British National Road Race Champion so many times that for a number of years I had no idea what her team kit actually looked like. Her list of wins, while not as diverse as Voseseses in terms of disciplines, boasts wins in every road racing category: Time Trials, Road Races, Grand Tours as well as Classics, and Points and Mountains Classifications in stage races. She was the first woman to the top of le Mur de Huy so often that it took the rise of a certain Dutchwoman to break her seemingly unstoppable streak. As is customary, however, when you kick that much ass it’s hard to keep your knees in order and as a consequence she’s been sidelined repeatedly with chronic knee injuries. A pity, that; I bet she could have filled a fourth row had she been able to race uninterrupted.

But two favorites don’t make for an exciting race, and thankfully the list of contenders for Saturday’s Women’s World Road Race Championships goes well beyond Vos and Cooke. A quick browse through the startlist shows Rochelle Gilmore riding for the Aussies, Judith Ardt spinning the cranks for Germany, Emma Pooley singing backup for Nicole, Giorgia Bronzini leading for Italy, and the great Kristin Armstrong returning from motherhood to lead the US team together with Amber Neben.

Mix all of them up on a course that’s harder than people are giving it credit for, and you’ve got an unpredictable race in the works. Consult the Oracle and enter your picks; this edition of the Velominati Super Prestige will be followed closely by the Men’s race on Sunday, so buckle up a for a great weekend of guessing and racing. As always, if you are inclined to enter, simply post your predictions for the top five placings in the form below. Make your picks by 5am Pacific Saturday morning, regular VSP Rules apply.  Good luck!

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103 Replies to “Velominati Super Prestige: 2011 Women’s Elite Worlds Road Race”

  2. I think you’ve overlooked Canada in your preview… We have some podium hopes, especially after placing riders 4,5,7 in the TT. Although she is a world champion in track I think someone like Tara Whitten could surprise in the road race.

  4. Robbie McEwen was a BMX cyclist as well.

    I did a bit of BMX-ing myself a couple years ago, but lost interest when my knee exploded and I couldn’t keep up with the rest of the group anymore. If you want to know who else rode with me, google FCV Wycross. I rode in the same training category as for instance Sander Bisseling.

  5. @Anthony
    Word! I mentioned this the other day, but it got no traction. I could also see Clara Hughes pulling off the incredible and finishing top five.

    @snoov
    That is a very cool pic.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. VelOSeraptor
    2. Arndt
    3. Pooley
    4. Johansson
    5. Cooke

  6. @Cyclops

    @frank

    @Cyclops
    You keep talking about BMX like it’s a sport.

    The gauntlet has been thrown. A little story I like to tell is when the BMXers first started showing up a downhill MTB races. Mike King – a GT factory pro BMXer – shows up at a race in GT Pro Factory gear and everybody is like “Who are you?” “Oh, you’re just a BMXer.” was the response of all the MTB “Pros”. He then kicked their asses all over the place and that opened the flood gates for likes of Eric Carter, Brian Lopes, Shaun Palmer, etc. All BMXers. The average 12 year old BMXer has better bike handling skills than most “Pro” road races and MTBers.
    When BMX was introduced as an Olympic sport the USA Cycling coaches were amazed when they hooked up 5″²-4″³, Donny Robinson to a power meter and realized that he had the highest power to weight ration of ANY cyclist they had EVER seen.
    Why can this 50 year old Cyclops hang with 20 year olds in Criteriums? Because I’m used to coming out of corners spun up to the nuts. I’m also used to having somebody’s shoulder tucked up into my armpit at 50kph – 10 feet off the ground.
    Almost all of Great Britain’s track stars were BMXers. Cadel Evans? BMXer. The future of American cycling? BMXers.
    I rest my case.

    Some of the stuff we used to ride as kids on our BMXs would have me reaching for my downhill bike now.

    It’s the best way to get kids into cycling. Decent race BMX’s are the best choice of bix for the under 10s.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Pooley
    2. Gilmore
    3. Armstrong
    4. Vos
    5. Cooke

  7. @snoov
    Nice photo! We built a quarter pipe in the eighties but it wasn’t exactly a smooth arc more a series of poorly bent sheets of ply with angles transitioning betwen them. I don’t recall anyone having the balls to send it off the top!

  8. VSP PICKS:

    1. Vos ist los
    2. Ballad of Ina-Yoko
    3. Takes the Bronzini
    4. Ardnt sure
    5. There for the Hosking

  12. Another total guess on my part

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Vos
    2. Pooley
    3. Bronzini
    4. Cooke
    5. Armistead

  15. VSP PICKS:

    1. Linda Villumsen
    2. Marianne Vos
    3. Ina Yoko Teutenburg
    4. Emma Pooley
    5. Judith Arndt

  16. @frank

    @Buck Rogers

    Ever since Barry married Dede Demet, I lost all interest! (had a crush on her since the late 80″²s!)

    Yeah, mega crush for me too. Who can blame us? BAD. ASS.

    @ramenvelo

    Picks are still open and the results are posted. I guess putting in the top 5 would invoke the Piti Principle. When did this go up?

    You scared me there for a second.

    Snot blob on right shoulder. That makes me all tingly.

    @Cyclops

    I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – everything about this picture…

    …is very hot.

    Cripes, even more tinglyer.
    There is nothing, I mean nothing, better than beautiful women that are harder than you.

  17. Go Lizzie!!!

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Armitstead
    2. Armstrong
    3. Vos
    4. Cooke
    5. Arndt

  18. Just an FYI, I now realized that we don’t have support in the VSP for TWO fields (men and women) in terms of the master rider list. I’ll be working on adding that but it may not be before the end of the weekend before it’s all sorted.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. The V-os
    2. Arndt you glad you knocked?
    3. Johanssonburg
    4. Hatch
    5. Armstrong

  20. VSP PICKS:

    1. Vosberg
    2. Not Scarlet but nonetheless
    3. Bronze-ini
    4. Aren’t
    5. Karolinka

  23. Still bummed Kristen got cut, it’s a crap-shoot to call this one. Same thing for the men’s.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Judith Arndt
    2. Marianne Vos
    3. Ina Yoko Teutenberg
    4. Emma Johansson
    5. Giorgia Bronzini

  24. A minor change up.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Vos
    2. Armstrong
    3. Bronzini
    4. Cooke
    5. Armistead

  26. @frank

    Just an FYI, I now realized that we don’t have support in the VSP for TWO fields (men and women) in terms of the master rider list. I’ll be working on adding that but it may not be before the end of the weekend before it’s all sorted.

    I know everyone is on the edge of their seats, but I’m happy to report that the VSP now supports the ladies.

    Next year, we’ll add more Women’s events to the VSP Calendar.

  27. Should be an amazing race, can’t wait to watch.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Vos
    2. Arndt
    3. Pooley
    4. Teutenberg
    5. Johansson

  28. @frank

    @frank

    Just an FYI, I now realized that we don’t have support in the VSP for TWO fields (men and women) in terms of the master rider list. I’ll be working on adding that but it may not be before the end of the weekend before it’s all sorted.

    I know everyone is on the edge of their seats, but I’m happy to report that the VSP now supports the ladies.
    Next year, we’ll add more Women’s events to the VSP Calendar.

    Nicely done sir. Last spiring I was riding De Ronde van West de Portlandia, and after 1 million M of climbing, on one of the last uphills, near death and puking, at 23%, and chipper young (hot) lass rolls up next to me and perkily says “hi! you having a good time??!!??”, then rolls away from me like I was sitting on the couch. Gentlemen, they are way harder than us. Three words: babies out panainais. Merckx bless ’em………..

  30. Good looking out Oli.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Vos
    2. Arndt
    3. Bronzini
    4. Cooke
    5. Armistead

  31. @Oli
    She’s on the official start list, if not the Cyclingnews one.

    Hatch, on the other hand, is not. So I’m swapping her out for Dede. Damnit. Pooley then.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. The V-os
    2. Arndt you glad you knocked?
    3. Johanssonburg
    4. Pooley
    5. Armstrong

  34. picks don’t seem to be coming thru – so typing them as well
    1. Teutenberg
    2. Arndt
    3. Vos
    4. Cooke
    5. Hosking

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Teutenberg
    2. Arndt
    3. Vos
    4. Cooke
    5. Hosking

  36. VSP picks

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Vos
    2. Teutenberg
    3. Arndt
    4. Johansson
    5. Armstrong

  37. I forgot that Armstrong was booted from the team. Changes made.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Armitstead
    2. Vos
    3. Cooke
    4. Arndt
    5. Gilmore

  38. Out of principle I suggest we forget the VSP for this less than Awesome event, at least so far… my club ride is more exciting than this race so far.

    I like the Cycling News live-text summary:

    “Welcome back to the Worlds! The women have just started on lap six of ten. And what has happened in the previous five laps?

    Absolutely nothing….

    The peloton has been underway for just over two hours. In a group. The whole time. “

  39. Damn Damn Damn Damn Damn. Overslept. There can be only one. Vos is the Highlander.

    Cut me some slack, I’m either a lawyer who dabbles in media or a media producer who is also a lawyer, in any event I was up late last night working on a MySQL DB. And I didn’t get a damn ride in. So I’m feeling a little surly.

    Vos.

    There is no one but Vos.

    Just so we are clear. Vos Vos Vos Vos Vos.

  40. I hope Clara Hughes stays out and wins, as a reward for being the only person in the race to do anything.

  41. Thank God that’s over – I could have picked up a decent finish in that load of shite.

  42. UCI Worlds Copenhagen road Elite Women:
    1. Bronzini (ITA)
    2. Vos (NED)
    3. Teutenberg (GER)
    4. Cooke (GBR)
    5. Martisova (RUS)

  43. What started as a bit of a slow race turned into a cracker for the last few laps; heartbreak for Vos, elation for Bronzini.

    [vsp_results id=”9616″]
    [/vsp_results]

  44. @snoov

    @Cyclops@frankWhether or not BMX is a sport is irrelevant, BMX is rad! I raced and me and my pals built a halfpipe in a bit of waste ground in the early eighties. Scott Carroll was the best of us and he won the World Freestyle contest in Paris in 1987 or there abouts beating Matt Hoffman (the favourite). Then the next year he showed up in California and beat him again! He’s no longer with us but he could ride the shit out of one of those toy bikes!

    I took this photo of him one evening – maybe the best photo I ever took.

    Anatomy of a Photo (all from just a silhouette): Haro Master, Skyway Tuffs, Shimano DX pedals, probalbly Redline Flight cranks but could be the crappy Haro 3 pc. cranks that would come loose all the time.

  45. I don’t know, but it looked like Bronzini and Teutenberg sandwiched Vos. I don’t know if the jury is going to do something, but is that going to affect our score? I mean, Vos could be declared winner if Bronzini gets disqualified for her aggressive sprinting.

  46. Damn! Picked three out of five in the top five, but all in the wrong order! Hopefully tomorrow works out better!!!

  47. I was late for my picks, nevertheless I’m definitely happy!
    Brava Giorgia!

  49. @Oli, um, I think she was watching from home.

    Bronzini surprised me, she’s got the V and some.

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