Velominati Super Prestige: Chrono Des Nations Féminin 2014

TT Champion Lisa Brennauer won't be here. photo-Cycling Weekly
TT Champion Lisa Brennauer won’t be here. photo-Cycling Weekly

I have an idea. If Mr Cookson and the UCI are eager to lift women’s cycling up, why not sponsor a women’s race for each of the Monuments of the sport? A Giro di Lombardia Féminin would be a much better end to the season than the Chrono Des Nations. Each Monument would have an earlier start time than the men’s, a slightly shorter course and finish at the finish. Tis a pity Oprah is not into bike racing, well not her personally, but into throwing money at sponsorship. Is money the problem?

Without doing any research, as that is the Velominati way, women’s team sports have had trouble where individual sports like tennis and golf, have flourished. Maybe US women’s basketball and soccer football are more popular than I realize. Men are not going to rabidly follow women’s basketball, it needs a women’s fan base to work. Are there enough women watching women’s bike racing? Can an entire fan base be grown? Are women too smart to spend their time following professional sports…gulp?

OK, while you consider these questions, or don’t, here is a start list of racers I have never heard of. While the overall VSP podium may have been decided, there are still some bragging rights to be gained tomorrow. If anyone has a better start list please put it in a comment and I’ll link to it. This is your last chance to delgado in 2014.

[vsp_results id=”31311″/]

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36 Replies to “Velominati Super Prestige: Chrono Des Nations Féminin 2014”

  1. I’m ashamed to say the reasons for picking these women. Here is to dumb luck!

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Alison Tetrick
    2. Anna Solovey
    3. Victoria Bussi
    4. Haley Simmonds
    5. Cecilia johnsen

  2. Going with the old “reverse the order that they come out of the start house” strategy.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Solovey
    2. Alison Tetrick
    3. Edwige Pitel
    4. Larisa Drysdale
    5. Melodie Lesueur

  3. No idea – in the last 100 metres and I can see il muro with his hands in the air so I haven’t won but maybe I could reach the podium if that dog runs out now

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Anna Solovey
    2. Edwige Pitel
    3. Alison Tetrick
    4. Melodie Lesueur
    5. Tatiana Antoshina

  4. VSP PICKS:

    1. Hanna Solovey
    2. Edwige Pitel
    3. Alison Tetrick
    4. Julie Leth
    5. Melodie Leseur

  5. VSP PICKS:

    1. Hanna Solovey
    2. Tatiana Antoshina
    3. Alison Tetrick
    4. Julie Leth
    5. Melodie Leseur

  6. VSP PICKS:

    1. Solovey, Hanna
    2. Tetrick, Alison
    3. Antoshina, Tatiana
    4. Leth, Julie
    5. Leseur, Melodie

  7. You have put your finger on the essential problem for women’s sports and cycling in particular.

    It doesn’t attract a different audience.

    Advertising and sponsorship is planned for a target audience and a certain amount of exposure. If you already get it through men’s cycling you have no incentive to add women’s cycling to your mix.

    Nice as it sounds to have female-versions of the men’s racing, I doubt it would actually achieve anything. What the UCI and organisers need to do is not just promote the women’s races in the same way and to the same audience, they need to find a new one.

  8. VSP PICKS:

    1. Solovey
    2. Alison Tetrick
    3. Edwige Pitel
    4. Larissa Drysdale
    5. Melodie Lesueur

  9. VSP PICKS:

    1. Hanna Solovey
    2. Melodie Leseur
    3. Edwige Pitel
    4. Victoria Bussi
    5. Tatiana Antoshina

  10. VSP PICKS:

    1. Hanna Solovey
    2. Alison Tetrick
    3. Melodie Leseur
    4. Tatiana Antoshina
    5. Hayley Simmonds

  11. Here’s my completely unscientific and willy-nilly perusal of other picks and then arranging them alphabetically shot in the dark. Nowhere near the podium and not expected to be so no pressure. Good luck to all.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Antoshina
    2. Bussi
    3. Drysdale
    4. Leseur
    5. Solovey

  12. Laizane was third in the Latvian national  TT championship.  Can’t ignore palmares like that.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Solovey, Anna
    2. Tetrick, Allison
    3. Antoshina, Tatiana
    4. Leth, Julie
    5. Laizane, Lija

  13. VSP PICKS:

    1. Anna Solovey
    2. Alison Tetrick
    3. Cecelie Johnsen
    4. Tatiana Antoshina
    5. Edwige Pitel

  14. @xyxax

    Laizane was third in the Latvian national TT championship. Can’t ignore palmares like that.

    I’ll remember that if there’s ever a “Latvian Time Trialists” category on Jeopardy.

  15. Who knows

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Solovey
    2. Tetrick
    3. Antoshina
    4. Leth
    5. Laseur

  16. VSP PICKS:

    1. Tetrick, Alison
    2. SoloVey, Anna
    3. Antoshina, Tatiana
    4. Pitel, Edwige
    5. Leth, Julie

  17. VSP PICKS:

    1. Solovey
    2. Alison Tetrick
    3. Antoshina
    4. Larissa Drysdale
    5. Melodie Lesueur

  18. Go the girls!

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Bussi
    2. Tetrick
    3. Drysdale
    4. Leth
    5. Solveny

  19. @Gianni This is based on actual “research”

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Tetrick
    2. Solovey
    3. Antoshina
    4. Pitel
    5. Lesueur

  20. Second Delgado of the season. Just got reception as it closed – it said I coupled ee of minutes but then when I hit the banner and it kicked me over here it was closed. So close! I didn’t have any special insight so I was never going to sneak into third anyway. At least that’s what I’ll keep telling myself as I cry myself to sleep.

  21. Interesting question that wasn’t being asked about Solovey’s silver medal in the worlds…

    A rider 1 year back from a 2yr ban for steroids, hasn’t raced all year & did the majority of her prep on the track somehow comes out & beats all but one rider in the world championships?

    If she were a male cyclist, and wasn’t in a position to drum up (justified) sympathy due to the situation in her home country, would that sort of result be accepted without question?

  22. @Mikael Liddy

    Interesting question that wasn’t being asked about Solovey’s silver medal in the worlds…

    A rider 1 year back from a 2yr ban for steroids, hasn’t raced all year & did the majority of her prep on the track somehow comes out & beats all but one rider in the world championships?

    If she were a male cyclist, and wasn’t in a position to drum up (justified) sympathy due to the situation in her home country, would that sort of result be accepted without question?

    I think it was being asked.

    You rarely see Solovey’s name without ‘disgraced’ or ‘controversial’ somewhere nearby.

  23. @Mikael Liddy Yes but they do mention it in what is essentially a puff piece that is only there to fill space on a slow day.

    “Solovey, 22, has had a chequered past of her own. Twice a junior world time trial winner, in 2009 and 2010, in 2011 she tested positive for steroids and was suspended for two years before returning to racing in 2013.”

    Cycling News wouldn’t know their arse from their elbow anyway.

    Places that cover women’s cycling like Podium Cafe are definitely more pronounced in their opinions.

    This was how they previewed the ITT:

    “Then there are always mystery riders who don’t race in the peloton, but come out for Championships, and the one I’ll be watching out for is Ukrainian Ganna Solovey.  Solovey is somewhat controversial.  After a glittering Junior career, including winning the European and World  Junior ITT Championships in 2009 and 2010, in 2011, when she was 19, she was then caught taking the steroid drostanolone and banned for two years.  She came back this year, just in time for the European u23 ITT Champs… which she won by a surprising 1’30” over Rossella Ratto in the 22.4km race, with a much bigger gap than between the other riders.  That performance raised eyebrows – and raised the question, yet again, about what happens when teenagers are caught taking drugs – is there any investigation or sanction for coaches and doctors enabling that?”

  24. @xyxax

    Provisional:

    Solovey

    Tetrick

    Leseuer

    Pitel

    Antoshina

    Ha! I got me a full house with the last event of the year.

  25. @the Engine

    if you ever start getting them in the proper order, you’ll be (more) dangerous.

    @il muro di manayunk

    @xyxax

    Laizane was third in the Latvian national TT championship. Can’t ignore palmares like that.

    I’ll remember that if there’s ever a “Latvian Time Trialists” category on Jeopardy.

    In the end, useful for Jeopardy, useless for VSP.

  26. @il muro di manayunk

    Going with the old “reverse the order that they come out of the start house” strategy.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Solovey
    2. Alison Tetrick
    3. Edwige Pitel
    4. Larisa Drysdale
    5. Melodie Lesueur

    While I stopped playing the VSP mid-way this season I have to say a FUCK’IN “Hats Off” to il muro as s/he was always one of the first to lay down their picks, even when they could have waited to see what their competitors that were close were picking and then lay in the same picks to cover points.  Spot on!  Well played throughout!  Congrats on the jersey and apron and whatever else booty you get!

  27. @Buck Rogers Thanks. Although I have to admit that the real reason I tended to submit my picks on the early side was because I was afraid of falling asleep and/or being away from internet access and delgadoing. I did my share of tweaking picks after the first look.

    This was really fun though. I’m glad I played–obviously because of the awesome prizes–but also because I learned a ton about the current men’s and women’s pro peletons and it gave me an incentive to get up early and tune in for some races that I hadn’t seen before.

    Again, thanks to the Keepers for organizing this.

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