Velominati Super Prestige: Paris Tours 2012
The final race of the 2012 Velominati Super Prestige season is upon us. It’s not the most inspiring race, supposedly a race for the sprinters. The long straight final run in to the finish line begs for a mass sprint. It should be called Châteauneuf-en-Thymerais-Tours. The route is 235.5 km of small rollers through the French countryside. There is not a categorized climb on it.
Captain Fuck Around is eleven points behind @san tonio. If the captain stops fucking around like he did with last week’s Lombardia winning pick @g’phant could be mincing around Wellington in a different apron from the one he usually wears. @xyxax, a few points behind el captaine, is swirling his hands over his crystal ball in his Gotham lair, his flying monkeys grinning and hopping with excitement over his shoulder. @ san tonio is standing tall, a few decent choices and he will win this whole thing but this is a tough race to call. It’s October, who has any gas in the tank? This could be a true sprint finish with remnants of lead out trains, or won from a small break or something freakish like a climber holding off the whole chasing peloton.
Did France’s ex-golden boy get off the EPO after the Festina affair? Did he win Paris-Tours by holding off the whole field on a day-long break with Jackie Durand riding on bread and water? For me it was easily his greatest win. It was much better than all his king of the mountain wins with their self-righteous finish line salutes to his own cheating ass. He was a climber, he was supposed to win mountain stages. But to end up being the lone fox chased by the whole pack, holding them off and winning this so called sprinters race, it was beautiful, Voight-esque. It’s how a race should be won. This win actually made me like him again, a little bit. Sprinters get enough wins already. They are over-rated.
Here is a provisional start list, good luck and good picking, no Delgados, please.
Below is a barely adequate video of the 2001 race and Virenque’s win, all in French and too many shots of him in his sweater. But it is short.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8QjoLylT1M&playnext=1&list=PL0582720E507C62A8&feature=results_main[/youtube]
VSP PICKS:
1. Bobridge
2. Von Hoff
3. Degenkolb
4. Van Avermaet
5. Boom
VSP PICKS:
1. Flecha
2. Stybar
3. Navardauskas
4. Degenkolb
5. Boom
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. Boom
3. Van Avermaet
4. Bouhanni
5. Westra
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. Van Avermaet
3. Nizzolo
4. Flecha
5. Chavanel
VSP PICKS:
1. kristoff
2. degenkolb
3. boom
4. van avermaet
5. beppu
Slight change..roelandts sounds hungry now that he is back….
VSP PICKS:
1. degenkolb
2. roelandts
3. ballan
4. bouhanni
5. blythe
Going through the start list it seems that most teams are bringing out their neo pros for the most part. I can’t win the VSP, but maybe make a jump up the standings. Or not.
VSP PICKS:
1. Van Avermaet
2. Flecha the doga
3. Chavanel #5
4. Deg Knob
5. DeGendt
@scaler911
Neo-pros: does that mean the break is more likely to succeed? I opted for a sprint (it seems to be about 50-50 at Paris-Tours), but I wonder if we’ll see a slightly less coordinated peloton than we might typically see mid-season.
Showing some French love here after reading cyclingnews’ piece on Bouhanni.
VSP PICKS:
1. Westra
2. Degenkob
3. Van Avermaet
4. Mercato
5. Bouhanni
@Buck Rogers
That’s a pretty American concept of French love: putting a Frenchman in fifth. Would you like some freedom fries with that?
VSP PICKS:
1. Flecha
2. Fuglsang
3. Bouhanni
4. Degenkolb
5. Blyth
@Steampunk
Fucking French, we save their country for them and they treat us rudely when we visit, what do you expect?!?!
Besides, since they went off the juice they haven’t been worth shit in cycling!
Btw, before someone gets their panties in a bunch, both of the above are said with tongue firmly in cheek, except point one and two.
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. Ciolek
3. Stannard
4. Van Avermaet
5. Ballan
VSP PICKS:
1. Bouhanni
2. Flecha
3. Degenkolb
4. Westra
5. Chavanel
@Buck Rogers
Well, you did pretty much fuck up their republican democracy after they taught it to your founding fathers.
@Buck Rogers
Er…that’s why we love the french….in a world where everyone has to tow the line, think about who might be offended by every word uttered…the french simply say “furk ewe mon ami….it’s ma way er de hawaay”…a truly great ppl…and their time will come again I’m sure…after all, us Brits have waited since Tommy in the 60’s for our moment in the sun ;)
@Steampunk
See, there you go getting all history PhD’y on me again. I just know that they would be serving sauerkraut on the Champ Élysées and not escargot if it were not for the Americans and British and the rest of the world bailing their asses out.
(says the well indoctrinated soldier :)
VSP PICKS:
1. Stannard
2. Flecha
3. Van Avermet
4. Bouhanni
5. Degenkolb
Would not be surprised by Flecha flyer, or one of the other french sprinters from stealing the show. I’m thinking Argos-Shimano and the french will work together for the sprint finish though.
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. Bouhanni
3. Dumoulin
4. Boom
5. Van Avermaet
VSP PICKS:
1. Lars Boom
2. John Degenkolb
3. Gerald Ciolek
4. Sylvain Chavanel
5. Juan Antonio Flecha
@Buck Rogers
Q. Why are the Champs Élysées lined with trees?
A. Because the Germans like marching in the shade.
Last change. Hivert in for Nizzolo, as his team is looking for a new sponsor for 2013.
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. Bouhanni
3. van Avermaet
4. Cantwell
5. Hivert
@Steampunk
Ha! That’s the spirit, Steamy!
You Americans. Always taking the credit. I thought you barely set foot in France before 1944.
The Australian Soldier
A large group of German soldiers are moving down a road when they “¨hear a voice call from behind a hill: “¨”¨”One Australian soldier is better than ten Germans”.
The German Commander quickly sends 10 of his best soldiers over the hill where upon a gun-battle breaks out and continues for a few minutes, then silence. The voice then calls out “One Australian soldier is better than one hundred Germans”.”¨”¨ Furious, the German Commander sends his next best 100 troops over the hill and instantly a huge gunfight commences. After 10 minutes of battle, again silence. The Australian voice calls out again “One Australian soldier is better than one thousand Germans”.
The enraged German Commander musters one thousand fighters and sends them across the hill. Cannon, rocket and machine gun fire ring out as a huge battle is fought. Then silence. Eventually one wounded German fighter crawls back over the dune and with his dying words tells his commander: “Don’t send any more men, its a trap. There’s actually two of them.”
VSP PICKS:
1. Chavanel
2. Ballan
3. De Gendt
4. Fuglsang
5. Turgot
VSP PICKS:
1. Bouhanni
2. Degenkolb
3. Blythe
4. Boom
5. Van Avermaet
VSP PICKS:
1. Boom
2. Degenkolb
3. Van Avermaet
4. Flecha
5. Maaskant
@Steampunk
@Buck Rogers
@harminator
Americans seem to conveniently forget the huge loss of life that may have been avoided if it wasn’t for isolationist policy.
@Marcus
True that. Canada entered the war against Germany in 1939; we knew they had weapons of mass destruction.
As per Gianni, I’ve had a long(ing) look at my flying monkeys’ crystal balls. They don’t know shit either.
VSP PICKS:
1. Bouhanni
2. Blythe
3. Degenkolb
4. Steegmans
5. Ciolek
VSP PICKS:
1. Boom
Posting all 5 picks.
VSP PICKS:
1. Boom
2. Koldo Fernandez
3. Degenkolb
4. Matthew Busche
5. Chavenel
@Marcus
@Marcus
That statement makes me think that y’uns think we should be involved everywhere. Yet, when we do get involved, we are imperialists, crusaders or the like, and are castigated for it. Y’all can’t have it both ways, but then that’s politics, and the Commonwealth memory is long, or short, depending on the circumstance.
Nevertheless, for WWI especially, there is always the perception that IF the USA were involved, then WE (Allies) coulda shoulda woulda. It’s all hindsight now. Look at the Balkans in the 90s. How many people died there before that intervention. Having trudged over northern France (and in a variety of places in Bosnia-Herzogovina & Kosovo), it is hard to imagine the scale of loss unless you’ve seen the Commonwealth cemeteries that are permanently imprinted on the French countryside.
@harminator
That’s true. It wasn’t until we got the official invitiation from Emperor ShÅwa, that the European Theater was prioritized, and we went there. Of course there was a mobilization that took some time.
@niksch **were involved earlier. forgot the word earlier.
@Steampunk
Professor: They are already on their 5th republic. We are still on our first. A non sequitur, sir.
Where the fuck did the cycling site I love so much go? Gonna segue into who won the first debate now? WTFF? Go watch some Pantani videos STAT on the YouTube. Then run off to Huff Po or Human Events to talk politics. Besides, we’re all going to be speaking Chinese soon, and the best plastic bikes in the world are made there.
VSP PICKS:
1. Boom
2. Ciolek
3. Van Avermaet
4. Navardauskas
5. Keukeleire
@scaler911
Maybe this will get us back on track:
http://youtu.be/i-J2bIsPDH8
Doped to the gills? Of course, but it’s beautiful to watch.
@scaler911 Sorry cobber!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxfzm9dfqBw
@harminator
Classic! Now we’re headed in the right direction.
VSP PICKS:
1. Lars Boom
2. Greg VA
3. Niki Terpstra
4. Degenkolb
5. Flecha
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. Bouhanni
3. Van Avermaet
4. Keukeleire
5. Von Hoff
I got nothing. Good luck Xyxax, san tonio and capt’n fuck around
VSP PICKS:
1. Bouhanni
2. degenkolb
3. stannard
4. van avermaet
5. boom
Have woken up and seen the light…I now know that I have no idea whatsoever about this race (or any other for that matter) so it is a bit like throw all the names in the air and see how they land…I am going for a small breakaway with a bunch sprint for the rest of the podium places…
VSP PICKS:
1. roelandts
2. ballan
3. degenkolb
4. bouhanni
5. blythe
God only knows with this one
VSP PICKS:
1. Meier
2. Breschel
3. Flecha
4. Zaugg
5. De Gendt
VSP PICKS:
1. Alessandro Ballan
Premature submission
VSP PICKS:
1. John Degenkolb
2. Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni
3. Alessandro Ballan
4. Lars Boom
5. Nacer Bouhanni
Last roll of the dice for 2012, see if I can finish my first season in the top 5.
VSP PICKS:
1. Degenkolb
2. Bouhanni
3. GvA
4. Chavanel
5. Flecha
Unusually, I have not fucked around while I checked out what others have done. I have just fucked around. So, hoping that I have not replicated the bets placed by Xyxax and Blah, I submit my essentially random picks for your amusement. I assume, San Tonio, that you are waiting for my bets to go in before revealing yours. I also assume you will ensure that you do the apron proud and win it with panache, by placing entirely different bets to those of us who constitute a theoretical challenge to your ascendancy. (Apologies if you have already bet.)
VSP PICKS:
1. Casper
2. Van Avermaet
3. Degenkolb
4. Boom
5. Ciolek