Velominati Super Prestige: Mens World Championship Road Race 2012
I’m quite upset about it, actually, all this racing that’s been going on in perfectly good weather. Vlaanderen, dry. Roubaix, dry. We were nearly guaranteed shit weather with the Olympics in London, but even then, only the women got to get all Rule #9 on our asses – and only for one race. Damnit, I want Epic, and if we keep insisting on riders getting off the juice, all the Epic is going to have to come from other places like pouring rain and freezing cold.
Its a good thing, then, that Valkenburg was picked for the Worlds, because that almost guarantees bad weather. Last time it hosted the race the weather was complete crap. Its also just hilly enough that I think any of those sprinters who are pretending like they’re going to finish at the front are huffing too much DuMonde Tech. Boonen might be able to hang with the leaders into the finish, but I’d hardly call him a sprinter anymore, now that it dawned on him that people get hurt and seasons ruined in those big bunch gallops.
My money’s on good weather though, because the weather is forecast to be good here in Seattle and assuming it will be the same halfway around the world in Dutchland seems easier than looking up the local forecast.
You know the drill, picks close at 5am on Sunday in Pacific time, and if you can’t figure out what that means, just put your picks in before the countdown timer goes to zero. Also note that the spam filter is feeling a bit peckish these days and has a tendency to gobble up people’s VSP Picks; don’t be alarmed, your picks are getting into the system nevertheless and The Keepers are monitoring the queue for posts to approve everyone to disagree with.
Good luck.
@Alex
Your pick we’re close to what I was going to put in.
1st for Voeckler, 5th for Moser and Gerro in between.
Watching in Melbourne. Still recovering after women’s race. Only made it to the start of the 4th lap. Matchsticks holding up eyelids for the men’s!
@Alex
Your pick we’re close to what I was going to put in.
1st for Voeckler, 5th for Moser and Gerro in between.
Watching in Melbourne. Still recovering after women’s race. Only made it to the start of the 4th lap. Matchsticks holding up eyelids for the men’s!
It was just iPhone update faff – a reset sorted it out.
@San Tonio, Blah, G’phant , Xyxax
Of course it’s tactics time – why’d you think I’ve gone for Purito when you’ve all pick Phast Phil? I’ve got to get some points back somehow!
It won’t work of course…
@San Tonio
Crazy week and weekend. A week on camp with kids then my wife admitted to hospital (nothing too serious). Last two races I’ve posted picks in the last 90 minutes.
Here’s hoping!
Tommy V and Cuntador in a reak. Still a bit early but it is a large. Could be interesting?
Anhh, should be break, not reak.
Hey Buck, should be a good finish, I’m thinking the peloton will get close enough to send up some of the strong boys in the back all rested…
@G’phant
I wasn’t going to make any picks til I saw your moves and I was refreshing this page about every 20 minutes last night.
@Rob
ohhhh, big crash according to e live ticker! Who’s still in it???
Ahhh, man, time to go to church! The VMH is dragging me off! Go Tommeke, Sagan and Phil Gil!!!
@Buck Rogers
Tell her you’ll be having a private prayer with the prophet and his disciples this week.
Weird… I’ve just got back from work. I always forget it is Sunday and not Monday.
@Fausto
@San Tonio
@G’phant
I’m feigning exhaustion by allowing a child’s stuffed animal to choose the World’s RR winner, before deploying my proprietary computer modeling software, Knows Picking®, to sweep the final races. You have been warned.
@San Tonio
Wow. Way to defend a lead.
Yes!!!!!
Great ride by Philbert! What a push up the Cauberg…definitely owes a big thanks to Leukemans for the set up.
My gut told me Gilbert was going to do it but everybody was picking him so I went with the Alburpo. I’m really glad that Phil won it though.
Told you it wouldn’t work! Here endeth my shot at the 2012 VSP.
Big ring riding at it’s finest. Amazing…I’m going riding.
@xyxax
Well that’s just ridiculous. Good game.
Fantastic stuff – really pleased Gilbert won it. I feared he had gone too early and they would catch him on the flat.
Oh, nice way to salvage BMC’s season, eh?
Top 5:
1-Gilbert
2-EBH
3-Valverde
4-Degenkolb
5-Boom
Fuck Yeah Fast Phil Flies Again !!!!!
@xyxax
1-2-3for xyxax!
Dammit! Betting against Gilbert was something I said I’d never do again, then did, then lost. Classy riding from the Waloon.
And the crocodile strikes again…that’s some punch he packs.
@Cyclops
As per Gerard Vroomen on Twitter:
‘Well he’s just saved BMC 3 million today, now they don’t have to go out & buy the world champion’
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@Blah
@brett
Hail the littlest Steampunk. Next stop: Mega Lotto.
@ramenvelo
Ahhhhh! Me too! I swore last year that I would never bet against him again if he was at all in the running! What a dumbass I am!
Great job Gilbert and of course in the Big Ring as well. This race and results really have me pumped to go out for a Rule #5 Ride this beautiful Sunday morning.
Awesome race – congrats to Gilbert, well deserved!
I was just over at Cycling News and wandered into the Forums section. It instantly made me happy that I found VM. With just a few exceptions (like people getting totally out of hand), we can talk about whatever we want here.
CN moderates the fuck out of their site, and I’m guessing that if I posted “this” post there, it’d get deleted.
Thanks Keepers!
@xyxax
I pride myself in being a good domestique…
Cheers to GIlbert, xyxax and san tonio. With Lombardy looming san tonio is building a lead. I don’t know what Gilbert was doing all year long but maybe next year he will rage away in the rainbow stripes.
@Gianni I think Phil was biding his time all year long, a repeat of the Ardennes wins or more WorldTour points wouldn’t have been as special as rocking the rainbow jersey all next year, and around his arms and neck the rest of his career. it was a season of ‘peaking in x months’
@Gianni
Didn’t they say something about Gilbert having some viral thing going on, seems like that is a big excuse and Hushovd used it too. Still, those guys do unimaginable things.
YES!!!!!! So stoked that Gilbert won Worlds… STOKED!
No better man to wear the bands in 2013, let’s hope he can start brutalising all those nasty finishes like he did in 2011 again!
Chapeau Phillippe!!!
@JFT
Now we just have to convince him to race Paris-Rubaix again!!! Guy has either podiumed or won pretty much every other major one day race out there, to include stage wins in each of the grand tours.
@DerHoggz
Yeah apparently he had a tooth infection around Tirreno-Adriatico time that kinda killed his early spring…the being said he had also made it pretty clear he was targeting the bands this year.
@Buck Rogers It’s hard to imagine Gilbert not suiting up for a run at Paris-Rubaix 2013… unless of course the Myan’s got it right and we’re all going to snap our chains on Dec 21st.
Going out to grab some brew and hoist one back for Philippe’s success!
@scaler911
Yeah there seems to be a lot of other sites like that. I used to visit Weight weenies, which is probably up there for being the most uptight argumentative group of fuckers on the planet. It’s like a bunch of grown men with the self control of 13 year old girls, that frequently has little to nothing to do with riding.
Cheers all also.
@JFT
I think that he has sworn off PR until later in his career. I read an interview a year or two ago where he said that it was too dangerous and he wants to wait until later in his career to race it again. He has raced it, early in his career, but never podiumed it. Pretty much the only big one day race, and the only monument, where that is the case. Wish would give it a go, though!
Phillippe ‘what’s eating” Gilbert “grape!” Yeah, boy! Happy he won, will be good to see him rock the bands in 2013! In the mode of @minion and @scaler911 will add my cheers to the rest of you yahoos, as well. This is a great group which can talk with great knowledge on topics as varied as cycling gear, history, and hottest sci-fi babes…..good times. Am reminded that we all need to thank the Keepers in general, but also for putting on VSP. Chapeau!
@Dr C
Hoping he takes kit suggestions from the Good Cadelephant instead of Thor though, otherwise we could be faced with some pretty horrific Rule #15 contravention.
Let’s not get aheadoff ourselves with 2013; there’s a very good chance we’ll be seeing Gilbert open his world champion account with a win next weekend…
@Steampunk
you are the DS and never forget it.
One lousy point … made a complete f-up of those picks sadly
@JFT