Velominati Super Prestige: Giro d’Italia 2012
After a winter of long training rides that offered more in the way of numb extremities than it did in acute enjoyment, I have to say that the warming of the air and brightening of the skies have served to remind me that while I love riding in bad weather, I certainly don’t have anything against riding when its nice out.
But dont think for a minute that this quells my desire to watch the Pros battle the elements as well as each other and, quite frankly, after a Spring Classics campaign that gave us only fleeting tastes of Rule #9 Glory, I welcome the arrival of the 2012 Giro d’Italia which holds the distinction of being held in the worst weather and over the worst roads. Come July, I’ll get just as wound up as anyone about the biggest racing spectacle of the year, but in my heart, the Giro d’Italia is the best Grand Tour of the three.
All that said, I’m a little disappointed to see that the Giro starts in Denmark. Not that I have anything against Denmark – lovely place – it’s just that this choice takes us away from the classical Giro opening week involving a mountaintop finish or two and gives us a Tour de France-style opening week of flat stages and crosswinds. We’ll have to wait almost two weeks before we start seeing the riders cross the highest passes and hitting the uphill finishes, though the final week does appear to set us up for considerable fireworks as the second-last stage will see the riders cross the Mortirolo and finish atop the Stelvio.
What does this mean for the VSP? Quite a bit, actually. Bearing in mind the changes we’ve made to the Rest-Day picks from the years past, it means that as the race settles out, those who have made changes to their lineup on the first rest day will not have the opportunity to do so again on the second rest day. And, those who wait for the second day will see steep penalties tallying up against their totals. But on the line is a Symbol Pack, the chance to post for the rest of year with the Maglia Rosa VSP Badge and, of course, the grand prize of the personalized Shop Apron. Check the start list and with any divine beings that you might be able to influence, and then get your picks in by the time the countdown timer goes to zero at 5am Pacific on the 5th May.
For reference, please review the new Grand Tour scoring and penalty guidelines. Also note that since these new rules required new coding and this represents the first Grand Tour, there is always the chance that there are defects in the code. Watch your picks and your points as we move through the event and alert us of any anomalies. If your points seem wrong, use the dispute function to alert us of the matter; complaints in the posts feed to this effect will be ignored. Finally, don’t leave anything to the last minute so we have time to fix any problems before its too late. Good luck.
Scoring:
Readers who wish to enter shall enter their predictions for the top five placings on General Classification of each Grand Tour by 5am on the day of the first stage or prologue.
Points
Points will be scored as follows: 20 points for first place, 15 for second, 10 for third, 7 for fourth, and 5 for fifth; plus 3 points per rider in the top five regardless of the rider’s placing, but riders are not scored twice.
Changing of the Picks*
Contestants are allowed to make line up changes on one of the rest days of the Grand Tours but not both. These changes will come with a point penalty. You will be allotted one (1) rest day to make swaps in grand tours. You pick either the first or second rest day. The penalties for swapping will be lower for the first rest day than the second. This will allow you to swap out a rider(s) who gets caught in some first week nervousness with a 5 point penalty for each swap. Or make some go for broke/doomed to fail break-away swap on the second rest day for a 10 point penalty per swap. You make one swap or five on either rest day for the corresponding 5 or 10 point penalty per swap.
Additionally, if one of your riders crashes out, DNF’s, or DNS’s, you may swap them out on a rest day with corresponding penalties if you haven’t already used up your one rest day swap. The only exception to this is riders who are booted from a race for a positive test; if your rider is on the juice and gets chucked off the race, you get a free swap of that rider within 24 hours of the disqualification.
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Damn – I’m excited as hell for the first Grand Tour of the year, but have not a clue as to making picks. No Contador; Basso’s form is shady; I hate picking Grimpelder for anything…I’m going to have to have a big think on this one.
@VeloVita
Basso won the Giro last time it was structured like this – he spent the first two weeks holding on, and then was the only rider still fresh enough the last week as he had finally ridden into form and the other had all peaked during the second week.
@frank
Yeah, he’ll end up in my picks, along with Scarponi, Grimpelder, Kreuziger and Rujano unless my pre-Giro meditation consisting of my grandmother-in-law’s Bolognese consumed in tandem with mass amounts of Chianti results in some other epiphany. Still not sure of the order though.
First? Here are my preliminary picks, possibly subject to alteration before the event…
In fact i’m sure there will be plenty of alteration as this is bloody hard, looking at the start list there are a number of unknowns that are usually up there in the Giro. I’m looking at you Gadret, i have no idea what your form is but i know that you love the Giro, although i suspect you will be chasing a stage more than the overall.
Dammit, looking at the start list just makes me question my choices even more. I ill submit with conviction, only to edit and resubmit with conviction at another point.
VSP PICKS:
1. Basso
2. Scarponi
3. J-Rod
4. Grimpeur the Elder
5. Pinotti
VSP PICKS:
1. Nibali
2. Sagan
3. Gasparotto
4. Porte
5. Basso
here goes nothing.
VSP PICKS:
1. Basso
2. Scar face
3. Gardret
4. Uran
5. Schleck
VSP PICKS:
1. Basso
2. Kreuziger
3. Pinotti
4. Scarponi
5. Cunego
VSP PICKS:
1. Cunego
2. Nibali
3. Scarponi
4. Kreuziger
5. Gadret
I can’t see Nibali on the startlist. Or Sagan. Or Gasparotto. Or Porte.
VSP PICKS:
1. Kreuzinger
2. Rodriguez
3. Scarponi
4. Basso
5. Gadret
Noticed that the start list is not up to date, ie Kessiakoff not starting.
Kreuziger or Pozzovivo? Going for Kreuziger… Don’t make me regret this.
VSP PICKS:
1. Basso
2. Scarponi
3. Schleck the Elder
4. Rujano
5. Kreuziger
VSP PICKS:
1. Cunego
2. Basso
3. Scarponi
4. Kreuziger
5. Gadret
VSP PICKS:
1. Michele Scarponi
2. Judas Gadret
3. Roman Kreuziger
4. Ryder Hesjedal
5. Ivan Basso
Just CANNOT put Gadret aka Smeagol on my list. Cannot stand the guy. I hope he blows a wheel and has all of his team mates ride past him laughing (yeah, I’m vengeful like that).
VSP PICKS:
1. Scarponi
2. Basso
3. Pozzovivo
4. Joaquin-Rod
5. Kreuziger
VSP PICKS:
1. Basso
2. Scarponi
3. Kreuziger
4. Schleck, F
5. Rujano
@Buck Rogers
I hear what your saying loud and clear. I was gonna put Kreuzinger in the 3rd spot but I dont know much about the guy, although the year Astana is having it may not matter what kind of rider he is.
Sentimental favorite is Ryder Hesjedal, eh. But frankly, I don’t think he’s got a chance.
VSP PICKS:
1. Scarponi
2. Basso
3. Kreuziger
4. Rujano
5. Rodriguez, J
I don’t understand the notion that the Giro is the premier Grand Tour. I mean, any tour that Basso can win has got be second rate. Look at the picks, hardy a world-class field. And the Tour last year was some of the best GT racing we’ve seen for years. When was the last time the Giro held us captive for 3 weeks?
@brett
Inclined to agree with you there Brett
VSP PICKS:
1. Cavendouche
2. Rigoberto Uranus
3. Kreuziger
4. Boring Basso
5. Why not, young Sagan
@brett
Last year’s Tour was unique from the excitement perspective. In my view, the very fact that the field is less world-class is what leads to the exciting racing. By and large, the Giro is exciting from start to finish. I don’t care about the names on the list so much as the quality of the racing.
Italy’s geography just lends itself to bigger battles; there are usually clashes the first week in the mountains, then the same riders who made gains there weaken by the second and third weeks; then there are battles in the second week and you see the same thing as they fade while the next batch peaks in the end. Its just a race that changes dramatically throughout – very cool.
This year will be different, though, as they don’t really hit the mountains until the second half; it will feel more like the Tour, but with worse riders. So for this year, you’re right.
Oh, and as you’re slaggin’ my boy Basso, he beat Cuddles in a mano-e-mano fight the last time he managed it, so there’s that.
@brett
By the way, the Giro isn’t the premier Grand Tour. Its my favorite one, that’s all. In fact, in the very words of this article:
@frank
People actually dont like Basso? weird.
While I agree with Brett regarding the quality of the Giro’s riders and with Frank regarding how beautiful is the Giro, I’d like to add that in my opinion the dominance of the Tour de France vs the others Gran Tours does not ever played in favor of cycling as a whole.
Hey – what are the rules for the situation where we intended to make a substitution, and wrote our picks down, but those picks got seized in a raid by the Spanish police, and never got infused back onto the site? Just askin’…
VSP PICKS:
1. Nibali
2. Basso
3. Schleck
4. Pozzato
5. Hesjedal
@eightzero
“Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!”
@eightzero
Let me see, I want to make sure this doesn’t come across the wrong way:
Yup, that’s it.
Tentative choices. I’m sure I’ll change them and change them back several times before the start.
VSP PICKS:
1. Ivan Basso
2. Damiano Cunego
3. Michele Scarponi
4. Filippo Pozzato
5. Grimpelder
@Sauterelle
Nibbles is riding the TOC. Thought you might want to know.
I’m sure people have access to much more sophisticated giro materials and reading, but this seems pretty comprehensive including link to free internet broadcast (supposedly free and real):
http://inrng.com/giro/
cheers
I love the Italian slant on their Grand Tour…. it is more open and unrefined, which gives it a feel of being less staged and managed than the TdF. This in turn means that more can go wrong and the riders have to rise to the occasion (Hampsten+snow and the resulting disaster of support that made that an epic stage).
2 different races – both all good in their own way!
@frank
what does that imply about the fuck you do give? these language things and double negatives confuse me frequently
@frank
And that the lettering is in Gold is not lost on me. But really—you couldn’t have gotten it on stone tablets?
@scaler911
Yeah, I realized that right after I posted. Already changed.
@Buck Rogers
I’m with you on that.
@frank
Last year was the first time I watched the Giro. I downloaded the Eurosport broadcasts and watched the stages the following day, listening to David Harmon’s Dulce tones while I worked (the joys of working from home), looking up from my screen when things heated up. I found the Giro much more raw than the Tour in terms of coverage, racing, terrain, etc. I loved every second of it and gained a whole new respect for the color pink.
@RedRanger
Ha! Great point. Fuck, might just as well pick the best five riders on Astana!
VSP PICKS:
1. Frank Schleck
VSP PICKS:
1. Kreuziger
2. Scarponi
3. Basso
4. Hisjedal
5. Schleck
@gaswepass
I think you’re anesthesia machine has a leak at the scavenger. You’re sucking Sevo. (Sorry if that means jack shit to the rest of you, anesthesia humor).
@scaler911
how dare you? what were we talking about anyhow? I guess that stuff works…
These will all change by the start. But at this stage:
Kreuziger = this is his big chance. And whatever Astana is doing in training seems to be paying dividends.
Scarponi = Italian on an Italian team that will struggle in Le Tour. Not quite past his best.
Frank = potential winner, but only a second-string Radeopard Datsun team for support (no offence to Kiwi Jesse Sergent).
Basso = Italian on Italian team, but past his best. That’s why Nibali will be riding Le Tour.
Beñat Intxausti Elorriaga = unpronounceable name on a strong team. I’d really like Visconti to go well, but he also seems to be past his best.
Most other teams look to be just hunting for stage wins.
VSP PICKS:
1. Kreuziger
2. Scarponi
3. F Schleck
4. Basso
5. Beñat Intxausti Elorriaga
@Rob
+1
@gaswepass
@scaler911
anaesthetists – the half awake administering to the half asleep. Be honest – how many Velominati posts have you made whilst in the OR?
Interesting that Sky are sending Cav to the Giro, biggest sign yet that he’ll get limited support at the Tour to ensure Wiggo has the best chance?
While I have limited time for Junior, I’ve always been a bit of a fan of the Grimpelder so here’s hoping he can do the goods. Not sure Scarponi or Basso quite have the power in the creaking legs anymore & I’m a little uneasy including Kreuziger given the suspicions surrounding the Kazakhs…ah well, I’ll probably change them all again before the week’s out anyways.
VSP PICKS:
1. Grimpelder
2. Scarponi
3. Roman Cross
4. Count Basso
5. Jose Rujano
@Marcus
Now, if you’re going to crack wise, at least get it right. Surgery is the practice of the half asleep watching the half awake be half murdered by a half wit.
Now that that’s settled, don’t ask silly questions.
@Frank My inner sub-editor has been awakened again…
“…the chance to post for the rest of year with the Maglia Rossa VSP Badge… ”
I think you have one ‘s’ too many and have inadvertently changed the Giro winner from pink (rosa) into red (rossa).
@gaswepass
You are in there right now arent you?
VSP PICKS:
1. Basso
2. Scarponi
3. Kreuziger
4. Visconti
5. Pinotti
@brett
GTFO. I care more about the Giro than the tour. The Giro’s the girl you go home with, rather than the stripper you leave at the bar which is what the tour is.
By the way, congratulations on this NOT being 3 fricken pages of nothing but picks with no text, which is boring as shit. There should be a rule that you have to be actively involved in at least one, if not two, arguments on this thread to have your picks count.
@ChrisO
Good catch.
So who is actually gonna be there to help Schleck sr? Seems to be a week team to me. But what the hell do I know.
@RedRanger
Good point.