Velominati Super Prestige: Giro d’Italia 2015
This is the most exciting thing that’s happened in Cycling since April. Yes, that’s a full two weeks with nothing exciting happening and its been killing me. I know its been killing you, too.
I love the Giro, the master alchemist of bad weather and big mountains that keeps the racing exciting from the first day through the last. You can generally count on enough climbing in the first week to see the leadership bounce around like one of those singing ping pong balls on Sesame Street. The race has its fair share of provenance as well, with many a legendary battle fought between legendary riders.
This year’s race is also remarkable for the fact that a GC rider is not only racing both the Giro and the Tour, but for Contador’s publicly stated objective of doing the Giro-Tour double, a feat not matched since Pantani crushed it back in 1998. That is an awesome goal, I just wish it was a goal set forth by a rider I could get enthusiastic about. A quick scan of the start list has me wondering who is made of the same stuff Bertie, and I’m coming up short. Uran Uran and Pozzovivo are the standouts; and I have serious doubts about Porte being able to come up with the goods, not to mention my boy Ryder who, despite having actually won the Giro, does not inspire confidence in his ability to repeat the feat. It is looking like energy bars may be Contador’s biggest rival for the title, like in last year’s Tour.
Now that I’ve given you three paragraphs of useless drivel that you’ve probably already skipped over, I feel comfortable getting down to Road Tacks. This is the Giro, people, lots of points at stake. And those points are going towards amazing prizes including a Jaeger frame and a Café Roubaix wheelset. There is plenty of time for you to Delgado the thing, too, so my advice is that you avoid doing that. Give yourself enough time to enter your picks so if something has gone amuck, you have time to hit “reload” or come back V minutes later to try again before the event closes. Remember, your procrastination in this matter will not result in the only Keeper with database skills diving into the backend to enter your picks for you. (And if you do encounter a problem, please be so kind as to take a screenshot and upload it as the descriptor “it didn’t work” doesn’t help us debug the problem.)
The scoring for the Grand Tours is a tad more involved than the one-day races, so look them over before making your prognostications. (One of the best things about the VSP is that I usually get to use the word “prognostication”, an opportunity one should always relish.)
So get your picks in before the countdown clock goes to zero, hit the go button, and good luck.
Café Roubaix's CR Wheelworks Arenbergs
[vsp_results id=”32941″/]
@rfreese888
Are those icons not obvious enough? I don’t want to show them by default but I also want to make it obvious that the mappings are hidden under there.
Whoa! Great win by Geipel today but what’s up with Bertie? Can’t lift his left arm to put on the maglia rosa? Not looking good.
@Mikael Liddy
Feasible, yes. Likely, no. Pros want their bikes as light as possible. These add too much weight. Not impossible to spot or check for – just remove seatpost and shine a light down there. To say it would be embarrassing for a pro to get caught would be an understatement. A lengthy ban would be in order.
@wiscot
Speaking of arms, anyone of a sensitive disposition should probably avoid photographic reports of today’s stage.
The shot of the Fantini rider on the ground has made me feel quite sick. I looked before I knew what I was seeing.
I know that will now make anyone who hasn’t seen it want to look. Just don’t.
Bet the person who was holding the camera doesn’t feel too good about the resultant injury.
Saw the picture earlier & it genuinely took my brain about 5 or 6 seconds to process what it was seeing. Was almost like it was a trick or illusion.
One of these years I’m going to figure out how to watch the Giro / Tour / Vuelta (lives in Canada, doesn’t have a TV subscription)
@ChrisO
+1 for Chris’s warning. I was also warned by my Sensei not to watch if I was squeamish. Naturally I stopped working and found what I shouldn’t have been looking for.
If you remember the paper cut that Thor got from a giant green hand during a sprint finish during the tour a few years ago, and that bothered you, don’t look further for coverage of today’s finish.
I sure hope the adrenalin of the sprint dulled his senses of what happened to his arm…
@wiscot
Are you talking about drugs or motors? Because this is the exact argument used for drugs, easy to detect, not worth the risk, etc, but that argument has proven positively false. Plus as far as I know a motor has only ever been checked for once, so the risk of being randomly checked seems low. I don’t actually think it has happened, but the risk reward seems favorable, and the ability to do it is certainly there. I have to think someone in the peloton has considered it.
@DeKerr
steephill.tv
I also don’t have a TV subscription, and this is all I ever manage. It’s hit and miss sometimes, but I get what I pay for.
@ChrisO
I saw that, then thought I was having eye trouble, then realized all too sadly what had happened. Having broken bones playing sports (but nothing close to that), I hate seeing athletes badly injured. I have no clue why some goons like watching injury reels. A hard check, sure, but nothing like that.
Yes, PLEASE don’t anyone think it’s a good idea to post the photo here. I never want to see that again. I’m wincing just typing this.
@frank
a brief note as to how to check your scores in the rules section of VSP would do it
@rfreese888
@razmaspaz
They regularly check bikes for motors and have been for a while. Eg, stage 2 http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/05/news/motors-revving-at-the-giro-ditalia-the-uci-investigates_369718
@frank in the tradition of articles along the lines of Awesome (insert nationality here) Guys/Girls, and having scrolled back through the archives, perhaps one for Adam Hansen is in order.
Vegemite for us Aussies is a wonderful national dish and its obviously served Hanseeno well, given the consecutive GT’s he’s done.
Just a thought.
Or not.
@wiscot
Dislocated shoulder. He is going to press on but its not promising.
Nasty crash that one. Second spectator-originated crash in week.
Bertie, starting the next stage despite a dislocated shoulder. Guess the stage is only 264 km so it should be fine. He is a tough bastard!
@PT
Is it just my perception or do spectators seem to cause more crashes than they really should? And a high proportion of pro race crashes have spectator involvement.
@RobSandy
My two cents is that it’s indicative of life in general – some people just don’t give a shit about decorum or appropriate behavior. “I need to get a good photo for my facebook page” seems to be the dominant way of thinking. “I don’t care what I have to do to get it either.” “I’ve paid to see this movie/band and that gives me the right to talk loudly, eat loudly and generally disturb everyone else in the room.” Me, me, fucking me.
Now get orf my lawn.
@Daccordi Rider
Big cajones for sure. Climbing out of the saddle tomorrow will be the real test if he sticks is out today.
@wiscot
Why make the effort to go and watch a bike race and be so fucking dense you manage to get in the way? What the hell do they think will happen.
Note, that as I’m writing this I keep thinking “Frank. Don’t mention Frank. Fran’s incident was different. Yes.”
I’m convinced that the human race is suffering from a virus that is disabling the common sense gene. It’s so rampant throughout life it’s the only thing I can think of to cause all the stupidity around.
@rfreese888
I stand by my earlier prediction that crashes will take out the majority of the main contenders…
@Teocalli
My prediction: the scourges of the 21st century will be obesity and narcissism. I don’t know if it’s common sense is being lost as much as it’s never being taught/instilled/built up and/or people are just selfish fucks, as wiscot pointed out.
I like people, plenty of good folks out there, but I sadly don’t really enjoy going out in public much these days. Everyone is just playing with their phone, whether driving a car, eating at a restaurant, or with friends at the pub. I’m depressed by how many people are wholly distracted from the life they’re living.
Interestingly, the VMH tuned in to PBS last night and they had a documentary on Haleakala. They spoke to a variety of scientists, researchers, spiritualists, etc. and most spoke about the peace, calm and silence of the place. And how a person can really find their inner spirit there. They even had some tall dude cyclist who liked to ride there and he talked about being transported to another place. Sadly, it was not our Frank.
@VeloJello
Prophetic!
Colli, getting medical care and good pain management, displaying a Fantastic attitude:
@PeakInTwoYears
Good to see his hand/fingers work after that one. I bet he has an interesting Xray to show the grandkids one day. “And this shard was part of my humerus.”
@Ccos
My thoughts exactly. In that sense, he’s a lucky man.
Luca Paolini – Genova, Giro d’Italia 2015
Astanabots
@Pedale.Forchetta
Intimate image, like being right there. I think I would get along with Luca. Thank you Pedale
Does Astana and Aru remind anyone of another rider and team?
@piwakawaka
No, not at all, I dont know what your talking about ! Sorry, gotta go, must get to the post office before the delivery driver leaves !
@Barracuda
I’m struggling to think of any team where they drove the bunch day after day yet the domestiques still had the form to make blistering attacks on the climbs and those that didn’t attack were able to keep up with the super-selection of GC favourites, placing three in the top 5 after a hard week of racing.
If there is a team it reminds me of it would be mid-90s Mapei, smashing everyone and taking 1-2-3 at Roubaix. But even that was ‘just’ a one-day race.
VSP PICKS (1st Rest Day Swaps):
Hope I haven’t jinxed Landa…
VSP PICKS (1st Rest Day Swaps):
Hard not to be skeptical when you see that many of them bossing the climbs like that.
VSP PICKS (1st Rest Day Swaps):
@RobSandy
I delgado’d the start – can I add picks now, albeit with the points penalties?
not sure if this is a good deal with the penalty…but wtf…
VSP PICKS (1st Rest Day Swaps):
assume changing order of picks is same as a swap?
Swapping never worked for me in the past, still no reason to stop now. As long as Aru doesn’t get popped, a la Pantani, until AFTER the race, should be glowing.
VSP PICKS (1st Rest Day Swaps):
5 point penalty per swap on rest day 1 means it’s only the top 4 that are worth changing as even with a perfect top 5 you would still only break even on the 5th rider if you swapped each pick (15-10-5-2-0) correct?
10 point penalty per swap on rest day 2 means only changing the top 2 picks would still yield a benefit (10/5/0/-3/-5) corret?
Finally what happens if I make a swap which involves a rider alfeady picked in another position? For example, I have Kreuziger as my 5th pick, if I wanted to put him as my first pick would I also have to put a new fifth pick costng me double penalty points? Or are you allowed to pick a rider in multiple positions? I’ve read the VSP page but it’s not mentioned.
VSP PICKS (1st Rest Day Swaps):
Jonny, are you asking us to do math?
The VSP is not raced on data, it is raced instincts…
My current theory is that Sky are playing a blinder and letting their riders rest while Porte is towed along by Astana and Tinkoff Saxo letting them tire themselves out. Then in the second half Sky will still be fresh to attack and pull Porte clear. Then again I may be dreaming.
@Ron
Instinct meter below…………..
oops – sorry about that, finger trouble.
@Ron
I think my maths is correct but some clarification on my last paragraph would be appreciated.
@JonnyG
You need to look at it from a slightly different perspective; if Eddy woke up on the rest day knowing that several of his team weren’t going to be there to take control of the race when things got dirty, would he have started whining about maths or rest day swaps or would he have gone out on a 200 km recovery ride and then ripped everybody’s legs off on he next stage?