Velominati Super Prestige: Giro d’Italia 2012 Stage 20

The famous bends of the Stelvio

See that huge mountain over there? The one with the steep, twisty road going up it? The one that is often covered in snow this time of year? Right, race ya to the top.

I don’t know what more there is to say about this year’s Giro; four days from the end, with two of the biggest mountain stages yet to come and the G.C., Mountains, and Points competitions are all wide open. Basso is looking perhaps the freshest of the favorites, but Hope of a Nation is not looking to be weakening, either. Purito hasn’t shown weakness, though he also hasn’t really been able to show the speed he usually has on the uphill finishes; on his trademark uphill finale attacks, the slower men have (usually) been able to contain him. The Pony, on the other hand, showed his scars as he cracked on the way over the last hill on Wednesday’s stage and seems to be on the down side of his good form as we enter the final stretch.

Friday’s stage may well solidify the looks of things, but Saturday’s stage to the top of the Stelvio will be fireworks for sure. Clear your calendars for Friday and Saturday; this is going to be good.

Since this is a Tour stage, point on offer are 5 for first, 4 four second, 3 for third, 2 for fourth, and 1 for 5th. No bonus points for the right rider in the wrong place. Get your picks in by the time the countdown timer goes to zero. Points count towards your overall VSP total but do not effect your Giro VSP total. Good luck.

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283 Replies to “Velominati Super Prestige: Giro d’Italia 2012 Stage 20”

  1. @ChrisO

    You might be right but I was also thinking of his lack of results and the fact there appears to have been tension for a while, with him talking about wanting to go to another team. He’s clearly not happy there and if what we suspect is going on at Astana IS going on at Astana then that would be an obvious – but unmentionable – source of acrimony.

    Excellent point – I hadn’t noticed he was talking about leaving. Could make sense. Could be a combination of all of the above. He put it in reverse again today, that’s for sure.

  2. @Netraam
    Oh, and I’ve worked out the problem: there are no bonus points on stage VSPs. Next time, before you declare your own superiority, I suggest you read the fucking rules. You didn’t even have to go to the VSP page; I even took the time to point it out in the VSP article itself.

    Since this is a Tour stage, point on offer are 5 for first, 4 four second, 3 for third, 2 for fourth, and 1 for 5th. No bonus points for the right rider in the wrong place.

  3. @San Tonio

    @DerHoggz
    I think I could spend the rest of the day looking at the Bianchi website and store.
    Might have to get some Celeste grip tape for one of my bikes.

    I think celeste should only be on Bianchis, so fine if you have one.

  4. @DerHoggz
    @DerHoggz

    @San Tonio

    @DerHoggz
    I think I could spend the rest of the day looking at the Bianchi website and store.
    Might have to get some Celeste grip tape for one of my bikes.

    I think celeste should only be on Bianchis, so fine if you have one.

    Not quite but I have a Bianchi celeste colored saddle on my ‘B’ bike and those would match nicely.

  5. @San Tonio

    @DerHoggz@DerHoggz

    @San Tonio

    @DerHoggzI think I could spend the rest of the day looking at the Bianchi website and store.Might have to get some Celeste grip tape for one of my bikes.

    I think celeste should only be on Bianchis, so fine if you have one.

    Not quite but I have a Bianchi celeste colored saddle on my ‘B’ bike and those would match nicely.

    Celeste also known as Moon Mist for the more orec inclined

  6. De Gendt was heroic – always love a Belgian taking honours in a cycling race – like an all black winning a rugby match or a Brazilian, football – it just feels right like the world is in order. On that topic and as great as the Giro is its nothing on my wife giving birth to my daughter on Friday. Amazing scenes. : )

  7. @smithers

    De Gendt was heroic – always love a Belgian taking honours in a cycling race – like an all black winning a rugby match or a Brazilian, football – it just feels right like the world is in order. On that topic and as great as the Giro is its nothing on my wife giving birth to my daughter on Friday. Amazing scenes. : )

    Ah, yes, the humble reminder that racing bikes is not the biggest deal in the world! Congrats!

    And don’t forget Rule #11 in the coming months…its going to be tough…

  8. @frank

    @Netraam
    Oh, and I’ve worked out the problem: there are no bonus points on stage VSPs. Next time, before you declare your own superiority, I suggest you read the fucking rules. You didn’t even have to go to the VSP page; I even took the time to point it out in the VSP article itself.

    Since this is a Tour stage, point on offer are 5 for first, 4 four second, 3 for third, 2 for fourth, and 1 for 5th. No bonus points for the right rider in the wrong place.

    This is the bit I don’t get, 95% of the questions about the scoring in the VSP events are answered in the articles themselves…a little more reading could go a looooong way.

  9. @frank

    @smithers

    De Gendt was heroic – always love a Belgian taking honours in a cycling race – like an all black winning a rugby match or a Brazilian, football – it just feels right like the world is in order. On that topic and as great as the Giro is its nothing on my wife giving birth to my daughter on Friday. Amazing scenes. : )

    Ah, yes, the humble reminder that racing bikes is not the biggest deal in the world! Congrats!

    And don’t forget Rule #11 in the coming months…its going to be tough…

    Thanks for that Frank. Sitting with them here in the maternity ward as we speak both are asleep .. perfect crisp Sydney morning crystal blue sky twelve degrees outside … and all I’m thinking about is riding my bike ………………….I’m a terrible human being.

  10. BTW, did you see that Hunter, Guardini and a couple of others were disqualified for hanging on to team cars.

    Talk about pointless jobsworthing… four sprinters, at the tail end of the GC after three weeks – what were they going to do, win the TT by four hours to shake up the podium ?

  11. @Cyclops

    @Buck Rogers

    Basoo blows like a two dollar whore!

    I laughed out loud.

    @sgt

    @frank
    I suggest you change his moniker to “Net-Ron”. Well played sir.

    Woah. I might get worked up easily, I might be very excitable. BUT, I’d never insult Frank’s computer skills or overlook the fact of how much time and effort he puts into this. Heck, don’t really see myself insulting anyone ’round here since I think most of ya know a lot more about cycling and racing than I do.

    Now, if you try to tell me faux denim bibs aren’t hot gear I might tell you your fashion sense is off but I won’t do much insulting beyond that…

    Plus, I even used the dispute function effectively the other day & didn’t even get worked up or bother Frank!

  12. Also BTW, in the ‘things we learned’ category… Team Sky = Tactically Clueless.

    All they had to do yesterday was stop Rodriguez taking fourth place or higher and they failed.

    Henao and Uran were even helping make the pace in the chasing group at one point, using up their energy before the climb. Why ? Not to consolidate the Young Riders’ jersey – Uran had 5 minutes on Brambilla, who was already dropped.

    Thomas, Stannard and Eisel all finished with the gruppetto, and Flecha in between. Surely one or two of them (Thomas, Eisel) could have stayed with the front group for a while to help the climbers.

    Wiggo has been doing the PR rounds about his training in the Canary Islands – but you don’t win the tour without tactics as well. If Sky can’t protect one jersey with no other aims, how can they launch a two-pronged attack with Wiggins and Cavendish.

    And had they won the Maglia Rossa Cav might have been less worried about the Tour I suspect, but they’ve just made the problem worse.

  13. Love the new Lessons Learned category: way to go Sky!
    Loved that I got top points for correctly picking 4th and 5th!
    Loved TDG’s epic ride – yes I used the “e” word!
    Loved that Big H is gurna win the Giro, just amazing!
    Loved the daily, unpredictable and exciting racing for the last 3 weeks!
    Love all the work that Frank and all the Keepers put into this site to make it a place for us to come and hang out!

  14. @smithers

    @frank

    @smithers

    De Gendt was heroic – always love a Belgian taking honours in a cycling race – like an all black winning a rugby match or a Brazilian, football – it just feels right like the world is in order. On that topic and as great as the Giro is its nothing on my wife giving birth to my daughter on Friday. Amazing scenes. : )

    Ah, yes, the humble reminder that racing bikes is not the biggest deal in the world! Congrats!

    And don’t forget Rule #11 in the coming months…its going to be tough…

    Thanks for that Frank. Sitting with them here in the maternity ward as we speak both are asleep .. perfect crisp Sydney morning crystal blue sky twelve degrees outside … and all I’m thinking about is riding my bike ………………….I’m a terrible human being.

    congrats sir…but does this now mean your weekend is free for the Sydney Convict Cogal?

    Time for the first Rule #11 test

  15. @ChrisO

    Also BTW, in the ‘things we learned’ category… Team Sky = Tactically Clueless.

    All they had to do yesterday was stop Rodriguez taking fourth place or higher and they failed.

    Henao and Uran were even helping make the pace in the chasing group at one point, using up their energy before the climb. Why ? Not to consolidate the Young Riders’ jersey – Uran had 5 minutes on Brambilla, who was already dropped.

    Thomas, Stannard and Eisel all finished with the gruppetto, and Flecha in between. Surely one or two of them (Thomas, Eisel) could have stayed with the front group for a while to help the climbers.

    Wiggo has been doing the PR rounds about his training in the Canary Islands – but you don’t win the tour without tactics as well. If Sky can’t protect one jersey with no other aims, how can they launch a two-pronged attack with Wiggins and Cavendish.

    And had they won the Maglia Rossa Cav might have been less worried about the Tour I suspect, but they’ve just made the problem worse.

    Hmm, that’s some nice analysis and a lot to think about! Strong work, bud!

  16. @ChrisO

    Also BTW, in the ‘things we learned’ category… Team Sky = Tactically Clueless.

    All they had to do yesterday was stop Rodriguez taking fourth place or higher and they failed.

    Henao and Uran were even helping make the pace in the chasing group at one point, using up their energy before the climb. Why ? Not to consolidate the Young Riders’ jersey – Uran had 5 minutes on Brambilla, who was already dropped.

    Thomas, Stannard and Eisel all finished with the gruppetto, and Flecha in between. Surely one or two of them (Thomas, Eisel) could have stayed with the front group for a while to help the climbers.

    Wiggo has been doing the PR rounds about his training in the Canary Islands – but you don’t win the tour without tactics as well. If Sky can’t protect one jersey with no other aims, how can they launch a two-pronged attack with Wiggins and Cavendish.

    And had they won the Maglia Rossa Cav might have been less worried about the Tour I suspect, but they’ve just made the problem worse.

    Exactly, Henao at one point went back to help Uran when he could have shadowed Rodriguez and Sky could have won two jerseys.

  17. @ChrisO

    Also BTW, in the ‘things we learned’ category… Team Sky = Tactically Clueless.

    All they had to do yesterday was stop Rodriguez taking fourth place or higher and they failed.

    Henao and Uran were even helping make the pace in the chasing group at one point, using up their energy before the climb. Why ? Not to consolidate the Young Riders’ jersey – Uran had 5 minutes on Brambilla, who was already dropped.

    Thomas, Stannard and Eisel all finished with the gruppetto, and Flecha in between. Surely one or two of them (Thomas, Eisel) could have stayed with the front group for a while to help the climbers.

    Wiggo has been doing the PR rounds about his training in the Canary Islands – but you don’t win the tour without tactics as well. If Sky can’t protect one jersey with no other aims, how can they launch a two-pronged attack with Wiggins and Cavendish.

    And had they won the Maglia Rossa Cav might have been less worried about the Tour I suspect, but they’ve just made the problem worse.

    Very interesting thoughts. Personally, my feeling is that the only way to win any of the jerseys is to focus 100% on it. That means either Cav or Wiggo, and commit now. It’s *possible* to take both with a perfect race, but even then it means they have one less man working in both the flat and mountain stages. Cav can win sprints without a train, as he proves over and over, but that means one less mountains domestique and also one less rider to work and protect Wiggo on the flats, and its plainly clear that they will need everything firing.

    Similarly with the points comp; if they’ve got Wiggo hiding on the flats, it means less firepower controlling the race and making sure Cav gets the points he needs.

    Like I said, its possible to pull off, but they don’t have the track record for it and the wiser plan (and, from what I can tell – Braillsford’s preference) is to commit now. One gets the Tour, the other the Olympics.

    Concentration of force and mass.

  18. @ChrisO
    It sounds like protecting the jersey was (of course) the team plan, but perhaps the plan didn’t quite get played out properly on the road. I’m sure Henao and Uran would have stopped Purito taking the points if they could, but, as you say, they seemed to burn too many matches early on to be able to enact the plan. Bit of a shame from Cav’s POV, but that’s bike racing.

  19. Fantastic victory for Hesjedal and Canada! What an interesting Giro, especially compared to the procession of last year. Great to see a victory from the Great White North – hopefully it’s a massive boost to cycling there…

  20. @il ciclista medio

    @Mikael Liddy and you beat me to it!@smithers Congratulations. As my wife replies nearly everytime I tell her how hard my ride was – “have you ever given birth?” So it’s 8:00 at Hornsby then smithers?….excellent

    Thanks for kind words and unleashing Rule #11 guilt trip. I would give an arm to be there.

    My wife however would take it and my legs and my head and feed them to our neighbours puppy.

    Chances are so remote they make Tasmania look like downtown new York …( eh? ) ….

    I cannot sit here and pretend that its even possible to go riding all day Subday first weekend home with newborn ( our third child and first girl – YES ) so I’m not going to.

    I will and can commit to nefarious 2 hour hitouts at 5.45 am under cover of darkness and “commuting to work” – any one of you is more than welcome to join me. 38 km and 1000 vertical meters, every morning mon – fri.

    Convict cogal 2 – IN like Flynn.

  21. @Oli

    Fantastic victory for Hesjedal and Canada! What an interesting Giro, especially compared to the procession of last year. Great to see a victory from the Great White North – hopefully it’s a massive boost to cycling there…

    I friggen’ hope it boosts the sport! Eh.

  22. @Dan_R
    Very moving shots in my local café with Steve Bauer on the one hand and lots of young kids watching on the other. Saw three generations (Hesjedal on the screen). Very cool.

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