Velominati Super Prestige:
Giro D'Italia 2013
Velominati Community Profile Archive

Velominatus: DaRCrider

Order: Level 4 Velominatus

Location: Sussex, England

My first memories are learning to ride a bike, no stabilisers and 2 bloody noses later - my Dad believed in the V, and then riding it. Then there was the iconic Chopper and a road bike. I then got lost but MTBing in Tx brought me back to 2 wheels at the same time, 1991, Le Tour started showing on TV & I was hooked. I'll be just the aging Pedwan at the back whose peaking in a couple of months...

@DaRCrider's activity:

Velominati Super Prestige: Paris-Roubaix 2013

It looks so easy on the television. Well, no, actually it looks pretty bloody hard. We think we have some understanding of how they suffer, how their bodies can take the continual beating. But we don’t really know. Not even by riding these abominations they call roads twice in the space of a few days can we understand the scale of the thing...

@DaRCrider's posts:

  1. Although the Faboo procession may be spoilt (is his falling off on the reccy’ of the course a sign?) I’m gambling on the cold weather suiting him. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/gallery-paris-roubaix-reconnaissance-1 VSP PICKS: 1. Spartacus 2. Vansumm… »

Velominati Super Prestige: Ronde van Vlaanderen 2013

Imagine a world without the little things we take for granted; a house without a roof, a pub with no beer, a Keepers Tour without any clothes. The last one is a reality for me at the moment, five days in and still no trace of where the hell between Wellington and Paris my bag (filled with V-Kit, shoes, helmet, everything) is. The other thing that h...

@DaRCrider's posts:

  1. although it would be great to see Stannard up there too  – so I’m almost hoping to be wrong!” VSP PICKS: 1. Thomas 2. Spartacus 3. Van Avermaet 4. Chavanel 5. Sagan »

Velominati Super Prestige: Milan-Sanremo 2013

Finally, we have Milan-Sanremo. I hope pedale.forcetta is ready to shoot some pictures, especially black and white because it will be cold and possibly wet. Throw in a little wind and a race of this distance will weed out the less hardy. Recently, but not too recently, this race would be won out of a decent size field sprint. And yet, besides Fabs...

@DaRCrider's posts:

  1. VSP PICKS: 1. The beast from the east 2. Spartacus 3. The thunder god 4. Manx Missile 5. PhilGil »

Velominati Super Prestige: L’Eroica/Strade Bianche 2013

Until the 70′s it was common to race on gravel roads, but the Paving of the Planet has led to nearly every road being graced by smooth, black tarmac. As is the case with most things, once we are shown the easy path, it is difficult to return to more arduous ways. So it is with gravel roads; we take measures to avoid unpaved roads and in doi...

@DaRCrider's posts:

  1. VSP PICKS: 1. Van Avermaet 2. Spartacus 3. Sagan 4. Cummings 5. Nuyens »

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 insis...

@DaRCrider's posts:

  1. VSP PICKS: 1. Gilbert 2. Gerrans 3. Sagan 4. Tommy V 5. Boasson Hagen »

Velominati Super Prestige: Tour de France 2012

We are proud to announce a change to the Velominati Super Prestige moving forward: sponsorship. We are delighted (if a little surprised) at the interest our partners showed in this endeavor, despite the short notice we gave them. Four sponsors will be gracing the sides of our team bus for this year’s race: fi’zi:k is our Super Domesti...

@DaRCrider's posts:

  1. Been having the Wiggo argument at home – my wife points out that since I’ve been watching I’ve been fooled a load of times (Festina, USPS, etc…) although my counter argument has always been the “it’s not the one bad apple” but an endemic culture. Anywa… »

  2. Go go Wiggo VSP PICKS: 1. Wiggo 2. Evans 3. Nibbles 4. Van Der Broeck 5. Ryder »

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...

@DaRCrider's posts:

  1. VSP PICKS (1st Rest Day Swaps): 1. Scarponi 2. Gadret 3. Hesjedal 4. Schleck the Francker 5. Phinney »

Velominati Super Prestige: Luik-Bastenaken-Luik 2012

I thought I’d take this opportunity to move en danseuse on Rule #89 and to refer to Liege-Bastogne-Liege by its less-common Flemish name. It also draws into sharp relief that fact that while Dutch may be every bit as expressive and subtle as French, it certainly sounds less sexy.Some races seem to foster a romanticism that other races of e...

@DaRCrider's posts:

  1. VSP PICKS: 1. PhilGil 2. Nibbles 3. Vanendert 4. Martin 5. Mollema »

Velominati Super Prestige: La Fleche Wallonne 2012

I just had to use this pic of Tom Simpson in 1965 wearing the Peugeot kit as the title pic for this year’s VSP for La Fleche Wallonne. Rigid hooked himself up on the Keepers Tour with the same kit he purchased at the Flanders Cycling Museum and it’s Grade A nipple lube. Although victory eluded Simpson in this Classic he still looked dam...

@DaRCrider's posts:

  1. VSP PICKS: 1. Gilbert 2. Sagan 3. Vanendert 4. Schleck the Francker 5. Hesjedal »

Velominati Super Prestige: Amstel Gold Race 2012

When people think of the The Netherlands, they generally think of flat lands, windmills, and a topography where people claim to “live at elevation” when their home on the third floor of a building. Never the less, this is not entirely true as The Motherland does, in its most southern reaches, boast quite hilly terrain; the province of...

@DaRCrider's posts:

  1. VSP PICKS: 1. Joaquim Rodriguez 2. Simon Gerrans 3. Thomas Dekker 4. Peter Sagan 5. Cadel Evans »

Velominati Super Prestige: Paris-Roubaix 2012

We rode the Pavé of Roubaix in the dry, and any comforting feelings we might have been carrying about with us that suggested we had somehow prepared for them were summarily vaporized as we hit the first secteur. Riding together in a group, unable to reach for the brakes or the shifters, we all were hit with the same realization: these aren’...

@DaRCrider's posts:

  1. I believe it’s called the UK and the non-cyclists are still in denial that we’re part of Europe. »

  2. VSP PICKS: 1. Ballan 2. Tommeke 3. Vansummeren 4. Boss-Hog 5. Pozzatto »

Velominati Super Prestige: Ronde van Vlaanderen 2012

The Keepers and Rigid rolled into a region in France called Flandres which, without doing any further research into the matter, we assume is the coloquial French term for this region of the world. If its anything like the other regions in Europe, these places have roots that extend way past any modern country’s border and situate themselves i...

@DaRCrider's posts:

  1. VSP PICKS: 1. Spartacus 2. Tommeke 3. Van Avermaet 4. Ballan 5. Vanmarke »

Velominati Super Prestige: Gent-Wevelgem 2012

Gent conjures up images of the quintessential Flemish city. Age-old medieval architecture rising from the river’s edge is classically Belgian. Gent is also firmly tied to Belgium’s greatest gift to the world, cycling tradition. Many a pro-expat cyclist has relocated to Gent with the hope of testing their mettle in the seat of cycling...

@DaRCrider's posts:

  1. VSP PICKS: 1. Manx Missile 2. Tommika 3. Goss 4. Van Avermaet 5. Spartacus »

Velominati Super Prestige: Paris-Nice 2012

It’s right around this time of year when the little voice in my head that spurs me on in cold, wet, Rule #9 conditions starts getting overpowered by all my other personalities who at this stage are gathering stones and crowbars and getting ready to enforce their will on him regarding their preference for riding in nice, warm, sunny conditi...

@DaRCrider's posts:

  1. VSP PICKS: 1. Wiggo 2. Martin the Tony 3. Gerrans 4. Schleck the Francker 5. Taamarae »

Velominati Super Prestige: Strade Bianche 2012

The Monte Paschi Strade Bianchi is happening this Saturday and it is such an interesting race we are putting it into the VSP.  The route is a mix of pavement and white marble sectors that roam through the hilly Tuscan country and finishes in the middle of beautiful Sienna. It seems early to me but that is because the Giro had an epic stage on the...

@DaRCrider's posts:

  1. I’m also new here but I always check Cycling Fans for streaming – there’s nothing quite like listening to the local broadcast VSP PICKS: 1. Spartacus 2. Van Avermaet 3. Sagan 4. Hesjedal 5. Ballan »