Velominati Super Prestige: Paris-Roubaix 2016
Every time I’ve ridden the Roubaix pavé, I’ve peed the next few days like I got VD from some dirty cobble. That might not really sell the non-believer on the pleasure of riding the sacred stones, but there truly is nothing like it anywhere else in the world. Here in Seattle, we have cobbled climbs and they are by all rights legitimately rough. But they pale in comparison to the brutality of the Flemish kasseien, and the Flemish kasseien pale in comparison to the French pavé.
When riding the cobbles, I sometimes find myself almost having an out of body experience, amazed at the fact that bicycle and rider are carrying on in a generally forward progression. On one occasion, I even found myself staring at a bidon that had ejected from my Arundel Mandible bidon cage, which itself says something about how rough the ride was. The bottle seemed to hang in the air for a moment as time slowed and I wondered firstly how the bidon had found its way past my top tube, and secondly whether I should fight the strangely strong urge to try and catch it.
Several of our V-Community brethren are over in Lille as we speak, riding the cobbles with our friends William and Alex from Pavé Cycling Classics and swilling Malteni like fools. They are over there because the thrilling sensation of savage shaking when you hit a secteur at speed from the smooth tarmac followed by the sense of overwhelming relief when the shaking stops as you return once again to the smooth pavement is an itch you have to keep scratching.
Sunday is Paris-Roubaix, the Queen of the Classics. And this time, it really does look like it’s going to be muddy and raining. Thank Merckx. Recall that Tom Boonen is the only favorite in the Peloton who has raced Paris-Roubaix in the wet, in 2002. Fourteen years since a muddy edition. Fourteen.
Will Boonen make it an unprecedented V wins? Or will Faboo come good and tie the record to join Boonen and de Vlaeminck? Or will Pinchy do the double and take his second monument? My money is on rain and an upset winner.
Don’t forget that the VSP Series winner takes home a custom Don Walker and that the runner-up gets a set of handbuilt Café Roubaix CR Wheelworks Arenberg wheels. Third place get a V-Kit. So start your prognostications on the start list, pray to whatever deity that melts your butter, and get your picks in by the time the timer goes to zero.
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Tough one to call.
Shit is gonna go down.
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This is me hoping Phinney makes a splash and does something awesome with his comeback.
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Sagan will do the double one day, but not this week.
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Etixx finally got a top 10, I’m tipping them to get a top 5 this time.
Didn’t mention basket cases this time…
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PR and rain= unexpected winner. That said, I’m going with the favorites (or at least 5 of them)
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Wow, early betting on Fabs. Very wise I’m thinking. Sagan is good but not sure P-R is his best kind of race, where it suits Cancellara or Stijn Vandenbergh better.
Sagan’s been on fire lately, but I’ll go for Sparty hoping he can end on a high note.
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No G. This upsets me. I’ll be at work, so hopefully I’ll be able to get a stream going on my phone.
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“Rowe” doesn’t map automatically. @frank database fix for the future?
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Spartacus is more of an emotional pick. Would like to see him win one more Monument in his last season. Tony Martin is my dark horse.
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Frank.
FIFY. Just in time!
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@frank “Every time I’ve ridden the Roubaix pavé”
I am ENVE’ous to say the least.
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Thank you again to the donors (Don Walker, Cafe Roubaix and the Keepers) for all the amazing prizes we cycling fanatics get to dream about and maybe win!
Wet and muddy! I like it!
I do not know how the race will unfold, only that it will be a true Hardman that wins this edition of PR.
Cannot Fu@%ing Wait!
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Yeesh, go away for Spring Break and miss two whole races – I’ll never catch up!!!
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Cancellera has had Stybar and Vanmarcke’s numbers already this season and both will probably fall short again despite being such obvious contenders but I just can’t believe in fairytales. Cancellara will be strong but he’ll suffer some misfortune somewhere along the way and he’ll bury himself to the line to everyone’s admiration anyway.
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lets see how many times between now and saturday i change my list. Sagan could do it, but i don’t think he’s got what it takes this year to take two monuments(i hope i’m proven wrong). Fabian on paper should win, but he seems to be lacking a kill switch this year. Boonen has been a chicken, but if he snaps out of it then its his to win. Demare is my dark horse, though i could have put Van Poppel or Wippert on there as well. Vanmarcke has been in the mix all year, but he doesnt seem to have the big finishing guns to take on the monster that is Roubaix.
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Here goes nothing.
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@mulebeatsdrums
There is some anti-failure logic in there not to map it automatically until it has been mapped manually enough times. It should start mapping after a few races where he’s a favorite.
In any case, if a pick isn’t mapped, we always make sure to map them all before we register the results.
The only danger for you lot is more and more of you are putting the same rider in two places and whenever that happens we’re just deleting both picks from the system and, if we can be bothered, we let you know here in the thread. Don’t Piti Principle that shit, people. For cereal.
I’ve been impressed by Luke Rowe over the past 2 years. Good on Sky for finally focussing on him.
Senechal = very dark horse.
Anyone tempted by Erviti for a top 5???
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@Koensie
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Sep for the win! He has the power and the endurance. PR is his chance to show what he’s learned tactically from the last few races (i.e. DON’T chase down everything!).
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@Bianchi Denti
Finally. FFS.