Velominati Super Prestige

Velominati Super Prestige: Gent Wevelgem 2015

Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh boy oh boy oh boy! Oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy!

This is it! We are really into the thick of it now! E3 Harelbeke is today, and on Sunday we have the Kemmelberg in Gent Wevelgem – the first real serious cobbled race of the year. For Keeper’s Tour in 2012 we stayed just outside Kemmel, and for KT2013 Bretto and I went off for a jetlag-neutralizing spin together into the same area and rode the climb from both sides. When I arrive in Belgium on Thursday, the first thing we’ll do is head over there again; the area feels a bit like home at this point.

All of Europe bears the marks of World War I, but this bit of Belgium is even more heavily scarred; when this many people die in one place, it lingers in the air like a thick mist. This hill in particular was the site of several battles; the Germans took it in April 1918 and it was reclaimed by the allied forces in September. Monuments, graveyards, barracks litter the landscape.

Although its short, the Kemmelberg is a brute of a climb with a steep ramp at the top; the cobbles are rough and very badly laid at the base; the best route has you swinging wide to the outside if you’re to maintain your speed. If you are unlucky enough to be forced into the inside, you will come to a standstill and find yourself chasing from the onset.

And speaking of chasing, its time to get some points on the board with the VSP so you have a chance of claiming one of our prizes. Get your picks in by the time the clock goes to zero. And for the love of Merckx, don’t wait until the last minute before flooding my inbox with complaints about the site going down. Your procrastination is not my emergency, boys and girls. But if you do happen to have some trouble (and it’s not the last minute, or the middle of the night) then feel free to let us know; we’re happy to help you out so long as the event hasn’t closed yet. So, prognosticate on the start list and enter your sure-to-be dud picks.

We are still finalizing the prize list for the overall VSP, but second place has been confirmed as being a set of CR Wheelworks/Velominati wheels. CR Wheelworks is Café Roubaix’s wheel product line, and you’ll have the choice of rim size and hub. The Velominati edition comes with orange Chris King hubs, but if that’s too bling for you, I’m sure the configuration can be changed for the winner.

First prize will be something even more amazeballs and third place will be a full Velominati kit complete with V-Cap. My wheels just arrived, and I can’t wait to ride them.

  • Café Roubaix's CR Wheelworks Arenbergs

And, we’ll wrap it up with some 2013 Gent action:


[vsp_results id=”32565″/]

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216 Replies to “Velominati Super Prestige: Gent Wevelgem 2015”

  1. VSP PICKS:

    1. Mark Cavendish
    2. Alexander Kristoff
    3. Peter Sagan
    4. John Degenkolb
    5. Sep Vanmarcke

  4. By the looks of the grass and flowers, spring has hit Seaddle. Nice! Everything is leafing out and blooming here in central NC as well. Those wheels are fuckin’ hot, Frank! The outline font reminds me of…AC/DC’s Back in Black album!

    Goddamn, the racing is fierce so far. Major crash with the favorites on Sunday in M-SR now we have Cancellara with a fractured back and Greg vA just went over the bars in E-3.

    I wonder how Oss know Greg was down…screaming or can you just tell when your leader has hit the deck? Seems hard to believe at those speeds, and I’m sure there was a lot of cussing and yelling when he slid out and then recaught.

    This could be a crazy Classics, gonna have some new winners for sure.

  6. VSP PICKS:

    1. Peter Sagan
    2. Greg Van Avermaet
    3. Geraint Thomas
    4.  Sep Vanmarcke
    5. Nacer Bouhanni

  8. Degenkolb takes the bunch gallop with my boy T-Bone taking a solid bridesmaid. Can’t wait!

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Johnny D
    2. T-Bone Farrar
    3. Heinnie Barehands
    4. Cavendish
    5. Danny van Poppel

  10. Can I just pick Boonen and Cancellara and call it good?  Doh!

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Stybar
    2. Degenkolb
    3. Sagan
    4. Thomas
    5. Vanmarcke

  11. VSP PICKS:

    1. Peter Sagan
    2. John Degenkolb
    3. Geraint Thomas
    4. Sep Vanmarcke
    5. Nacer Bouhanni

  13. VSP PICKS:

    1. Zdenek Stybar
    2. John Degenkolb
    3. Peter Sagan
    4. Mark Cavendish
    5. Alex Kristoff

  14. GVA (if he’s not injured) to stop the Sky train winning again.f

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Van Avermaert
    2. Stannard
    3. Vanmarke
    4. Cavendish
    5. Sagan

  16. Massive bunch sprint?

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Degenkolb
    2. Kristoff
    3. Sagan
    4. Cavendish
    5. Bouhanni

  17. VSP PICKS:

    1. Kristoff, Alexander
    2. Degenkolb, John
    3. Sagan, Peter
    4. Vanmarcke, Sepp
    5. Vandenbergh, Stijn

  18. As ever no idea – these picks are to avoid a Delgado situation

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Degenkolb
    2. Stybar
    3. Vanmarcke
    4. Kristoff
    5. Cavendouche

  19. VSP PICKS:

    1. Peter Sagan
    2. Mark Cavendish
    3. John Degenkolb
    4. Ian Stannard
    5. Alexander Kristoff

  23. Picking guys who aren’t even starting has got to increase my odds of hanging on to the Lanterne Rouge!

    VSP PICKS:

    1. A. Kristoff
    2. M. Cavendish
    3. J. Degenkolb
    4. A. Démare
    5. P. Sagan

  27. Ok, haven’t made my picks yet, but WTF’s going on? No Tommeke, and now no Spartacus for the big races? Crazy! That being said, fine, fine win by Geraint today in the E3. Now Sky have a problem: Geraint is obviously on the form of his life – we saw that last week. Wiggo’s form? Not sure, but Sky and he have made a big hoopla over how P-R is Wiggo’s main goal for the year. So do Geraint and Wiggo start as equals or will the Welshman be subservient to his English master? Will Geraint havce to sacrifice himself or will he be allowed to have a go? My thoughts are, if it’s dry, go with Sir Tattoo; if it’s muddy, go with Wales.

  34. VSP PICKS:

    1. Alex Kristoff
    2. Mark Cavendish
    3. Zdenek Stybar
    4. Sep Vanmarke
    5. Garaint Thomas

  36. @wiscot

    Ok, haven’t made my picks yet, but WTF’s going on? No Tommeke, and now no Spartacus for the big races? Crazy! That being said, fine, fine win by Geraint today in the E3. Now Sky have a problem: Geraint is obviously on the form of his life – we saw that last week. Wiggo’s form? Not sure, but Sky and he have made a big hoopla over how P-R is Wiggo’s main goal for the year. So do Geraint and Wiggo start as equals or will the Welshman be subservient to his English master? Will Geraint havce to sacrifice himself or will he be allowed to have a go? My thoughts are, if it’s dry, go with Sir Tattoo; if it’s muddy, go with Wales.

    I am not too broken up about Fabs/Boonen. I would want them both in form or neither because honestly I think the 4x crown should be a pretty rare thing and I’m afraid of Fabs getting a “free” ride to it, which would have two riders of the same generation sharing that record with the Gypsie.

    I’m pretty sure its going to be muddy, so that also opens it wide up. Gerraint rode very well in the wet last year at the Tour; he might be my #1. I can’t say I disagree on your strategy for the brits, though if I was DS I’d have them both start as leaders; too much can happen at Roubaix.

  37. VSP PICKS:

    1. Degenkolb, John
    2. Kristoff, Alexander
    3. Stybar, Zdenek
    4. Vanmarcke, Sep
    5. Thomas, Geraint

  43. Giant rode so well last week it’s hard to write off Degenkolb but it’s tough to back up after MSR and he’ll be well marked. Van marke is also tough to rule out as is a select finish with Thomas and Stannard, perennially selected Van Avermaet, Vanmarke, and Stybar battling it out. But then with Cancellara out of Roubaix Vanmarke and others might just shift a few more eggs to that basket and let the sprinters battle this one out.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Greipel
    2. Kristoff
    3. Bonifacio
    4. Sagan
    5. Cavendish

  44. VSP PICKS:

    1. Greg Van Avermaet
    2. Geraint Thomas
    3. Peter Sagan
    4. Sep Vanmarcke
    5. Alexander Kristoff

  46. @frank

    @wiscot

    Ok, haven’t made my picks yet, but WTF’s going on? No Tommeke, and now no Spartacus for the big races? Crazy! That being said, fine, fine win by Geraint today in the E3. Now Sky have a problem: Geraint is obviously on the form of his life – we saw that last week. Wiggo’s form? Not sure, but Sky and he have made a big hoopla over how P-R is Wiggo’s main goal for the year. So do Geraint and Wiggo start as equals or will the Welshman be subservient to his English master? Will Geraint havce to sacrifice himself or will he be allowed to have a go? My thoughts are, if it’s dry, go with Sir Tattoo; if it’s muddy, go with Wales.

    I am not too broken up about Fabs/Boonen. I would want them both in form or neither because honestly I think the 4x crown should be a pretty rare thing and I’m afraid of Fabs getting a “free” ride to it, which would have two riders of the same generation sharing that record with the Gypsie.

    I’m pretty sure its going to be muddy, so that also opens it wide up. Gerraint rode very well in the wet last year at the Tour; he might be my #1. I can’t say I disagree on your strategy for the brits, though if I was DS I’d have them both start as leaders; too much can happen at Roubaix.

    Agreed. Co-leaders and let the chips, crashes and punctures fall where they may. I just hope we don’t see Geraint being stymied if he’s feeling good and having to wait on Wiggins.

  47. Seems to be struggling to map Bonifazio.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Greipel
    2. Kristoff
    3. Niccolo Bonifazio
    4. Sagan
    5. Cavendish

  49. @dyalander

    Seems to be struggling to map Bonifazio.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Greipel
    2. Kristoff
    3. Niccolo Bonifazio
    4. Sagan
    5. Cavendish

    Mapping is a purely manual process in reality, it is normal for some of the picks to take a day or two to map because it has to wait until one of us sits down to map them.

    I did, however, write some genius-ass shit that automagically maps the vast majority of them if they’ve ever been mapped before which is why many of the picks map instantly.

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