Velominati Super Prestige: La Fléche Wallone 2013

purito_attack
J-Rod launches his attack in 2012. Photo via Podium Café

We came tantalizingly close to adding a foray up the Mur de Huy during our excursion to Liege-Bastogne-Liege during this year’s Keepers Tour. But good sense and the Anti-V prevailed, as they are wont to do, and only two of us were left wanting a dig at the most notorious finishing climb in the Classics season.

I write this, then, woefully ignorant of the ferocity of the climb, particularly when combined with with a few hundred k’s of racing and scaling it several times in the process. Such is the nature of this event, and it doesn’t even have the dignity of holding a weekend spot on the calendar for its troubles.

But the Huy is a brute. Steep, long, and steep. Did I mention steep? We’re talking 26% steep. And long? We’re talking 1.3km. Even the best climbers in the world fade when the effort is dished out too soon. Keep the powder dry was ever thus.

Throw the formulas out the window; its best to resort to your eye of newt for this one. Whoever wins will have good finishing speed on an uphill finish and it also won’t be Andy Schleck. That’s about all the farther anyone can narrow this puppy down, the rest is guesswork. Enter your picks by the time the countdown clock goes to zero.

Good luck, regular rules apply.

I might have posted this last year as well, but this is my favorite finish of La Fléche to date, Pre-Cancerian Pharmy notwithstanding. He takes a flier in the only spot on this climb with some easing of the gradient. Its beautiful work, that.

[vsp_results id=”23108″/]

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238 Replies to “Velominati Super Prestige: La Fléche Wallone 2013”

  1. VSP PICKS:

    1. Contador
    2. Gilbert
    3. Sagan
    4. Valverde
    5. Rodriguez

  2. VSP PICKS:

    1. Rodriguez
    2. Valverde
    3. Quintana
    4. Sagan
    5. Gilbert

  3. Thanks for the heads up on Gerrans. Subs on, team sheet amended, for no other reason than I can’t make up my mind who to put in.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Phillippe Gilbert
    2. Richie Porte
    3. Carlos Bettancur
    4. Ryder Hesjedal
    5. Nairo Quintana

  4. Random win generator picks these. I sense a further slide down the VSP

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Porte
    2. Valverde
    3. Sagan
    4. Gilbert
    5. Dan Martin

  5. helps to pick riders who are entered…

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Sagan
    2. Gilbert
    3. Contador
    4. Valverde
    5. Kwiatkowski

  6. @Deakus Yes no doubt you are correct but I can’t bet against the guy.  I moved him down in my picks and I feel he will most likely not be in the running but….(see above).

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Valverde
    2. Gilbert
    3. Contador
    4. Porte
    5. Sagan

  7. darn you gerrans

     

    VSP PICKS:

    1. valverde
    2. alberto c
    3. ryder
    4. martin
    5. porte

  8. VSP PICKS:

    1. Porte
    2. Rodriguez J.
    3. Valverde
    4. Quintana
    5. Uran

  9. VSP PICKS:

    1. Gilbert
    2. Valverde
    3. Vanendert, J.
    4. Rodriguez
    5. Quintana

  10. Actually thanks Gerrans for failing to observe Rule #5 as Moser leading out Sagan up the Mur de Huy and the pair not quite doing it and crossing the line together is almost a plausible scenario. Moser does have form this year for going up steep hills at the ends of things quite quickly.

    Although in my head the arrival of Vogons is just as plausible – I’m going to bed now.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Roman “Double” Kreuziger
    2. “Popular Choice” Valveverde
    3. Pfast Phil Giblets
    4. Peter “Saggin” Sagan
    5. Moreno Moser

  11. Apparently, the computer system required greater specificity.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Nairo Quintana
    2. Philippe Gilbert
    3. Dan Martin
    4. Richie Porte
    5. Peter Sagan

  12. VSP PICKS:

    1. RODRIGUEZ Joaquim
    2. HENAO Sergio Luis
    3. KREUZIGER Roman
    4. VANDE VELDE Christian
    5. ALBASINI Michael

  13. Fuglsang makes me nervous, so Dan Martin’s in.

    Arghh! Must stop over-thinking…

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Kwiatkowski
    2. Betancur
    3. Gilbert
    4. Valverde
    5. Dan Martin

  14. Tough call but I’ll go with Purito hoping he recovered sufficiently after Sunday. De Gendt is a complete wildcard as I haven’t heard anything about his season.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. J-Rod
    2. Gilbert
    3. Valverde
    4. Martin
    5. De Gendt

  15. Should have picked a couple more dark horses, we’ll see how the popular favorites fare…

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Gilbert
    2. Purito
    3. Valverde
    4. Vanendert
    5. Mollema

  16. Gerro out Alba in

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Gilbert
    2. Albasini
    3. Porte
    4. Valverde
    5. Kwitkowski

  17. Tough to call. I’d put Sagan in the top five, but something tells me he has peaked a bit and needs a slight rest. Valverde is peaking and Ryder is looking for a pre-Giro podium.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. R. Hesjedal
    2. A. Valverde
    3. A. Contador
    4. P. Gilbert
    5. D. Martin

  18. VSP PICKS:

    1. Gilbert
    2. Rodriguezth
    3. Henao
    4. Valverde
    5. Martin

  19. VSP PICKS:

    1. Henao
    2. Quintana
    3. P. Gilbert
    4. Albasini
    5. Dan Martin

  20. VSP PICKS:

    1. Philippe Gilbert
    2. Alejandro Valverde
    3. Sergio Henao Montoya
    4. Joaquím Rodríguez
    5. Michal Kwiatkowski

  21. VSP PICKS:

    1. Alejandro Valverde
    2. Philippe Gilbert
    3. Sergio Henao Montoya
    4. Richie Porte
    5. Joaquim Rodriguez

  22. I’m very, very curious to see how the World Champ does. Is he just a bit off this year, making us appreciate just how hard his Triple was? Or, has he lost that Love & Feelin’?

    Gerrans. I think he’s been gauging what he has in those legs, from TDU through tomorrow and is feeling strong.

    Valverde. Did he race smartly on Sunday or not take his turn?

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Gilbert
    2. Gerrans
    3. Henao
    4. Valverde
    5. Moser

  23. VSP PICKS:

    1. GIlbert
    2. Rodriguez
    3. Martin
    4. Quintana
    5. Valverde

  24. I’m really hoping Dan Martin’s form has held since Catalunya, would love to see him take the top step.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Dan Martin
    2. Valverde
    3. Gilbert
    4. Contador
    5. Henao

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