Velominati Super Prestige: VVomen’s Ronde van Vlaanderen 2014

Ellen van Dijk scales the Oude Kwaremont
Ellen van Dijk scales the Oude Kwaremont

Vlaanderen. Its no accident the Flemish word for Flanders starts with a V; there is nothing simple or easy about riding a bike here. If it isn’t wind, its steep bergs. If it isn’t tarmac, its cobbles. Most of the time, its all three. Oh, and the weather there sucks. In fact, Flanders doesn’t have weather – it has VVeather.

De Ronde and Roubaix are the hardest races of the year, and the natural inclination is to assume de Ronde might be the harder of the two due to the combination of cobbles and steep roads. But the cobbles in Belgium are flatter and better laid than those of Roubaix, and the climbs are short enough that you can hide on them. I say you can hide here, but there really isn’t any hiding on cobbles – what I mean is that you can drift through the groups and stay in contact even if you’re a little bit behind your form. I think that’s the secret to the men doing the double – hiding here while still looking for the last 1% of form – then then peaking for Roubaix.

But who gives a flying fuck about the Men? We’re here to talk about the women, who get to race this course a few hours earlier in the day. Elizabeth Armistead knows how to ride a bike, and she’s been winning or getting second places all season long. For her efforts, she’s racing in the World Cup leader’s jersey on Sunday. Lizzy is a waify little thing and I have my doubts she can put up the power you need on a course as demanding as this, but when you’ve got the form you can make anything happen. I’m also putting my money on a timely Evie Stevens performance. But no one can deny Vos will try to repeat after taking the win last year.

The points from the VVomen’s RVV count towards the overall prizes plus the winner of this event also gets to post for the rest of the year in the oh-so-sexy Lioness of Flanders badge. So check the start list, review the VSP Scoring Guidelines and get your picks in by the time the countdown clock goes to zero at midnight PDT on Sunday the 30th. If you think we mapped one of your picks wrong, use the dispute system and we’ll review it. Also remember to be precise enough in your description so we know which rider you mean; in other words, if you enter “Martin”, we will use our discretion (read: wild guess) to decide if you mean Tony or Dan – and that choice will not be negotiable once the the countdown clock goes to zero, so be sure to give yourself enough time.

Don’t forget we’ve got three major prizes for the season-long VSP:

  1. First place overall wins a Veloforma Strada iR Velominati Edition frame in addition to the customary VSP winner’s VVorkshop Apron
  2. Second place overall wins a set of hand built CR Wheelworks Arenberg wheelset in a custom Velominati paint scheme laced to orange Chris King hubs. (CR Wheelworks is Café Roubaix’s new wheel goods brand.)
  3. Third place overall wins a full Velominati V-Kit with accompanying custom orange Bont Vaypor+ road shoes.

Good luck, have fun with it, and don’t lose your Rule #43 spirit.

[vsp_results id=”29423″/]

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204 Replies to “Velominati Super Prestige: VVomen’s Ronde van Vlaanderen 2014”

  1. VSP PICKS:

    1. Armistead
    2. Johansson
    3. Anna van der Breggen
    4. Stevens
    5. Hall

  2. VSP PICKS:

    1. Vos
    2. Armistead
    3. Johansson
    4. Van Dijk
    5. Borghini

  3. VSP PICKS:

    1. Johansson
    2. Borghini
    3. van Dijk
    4. Armistead
    5. Stevens

  4. VSP PICKS:

    1. Johanson
    2. Borghini
    3. Stevens
    4. Armistead
    5. Van Dijk

  5. VSP PICKS:

    1. johansson
    2. armitstead
    3. van dijk
    4. borghini
    5. stevens

  6. VSP PICKS:

    1. Van Dijk
    2. Johansson
    3. Lizzie A
    4. Bronzini
    5. Cromwell

  7. VSP PICKS:

    1. Armistead E
    2. Johansson E
    3. Van Dijk E
    4. Van der Breggen A
    5. Longo Borghini E

  8. Here goes nuttin’

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Van dijk
    2. Armistead
    3. Johansson
    4. Bronzini
    5. Stevens

  9. VSP PICKS:

    1. Armistead
    2. Johansen
    3. Van Dijk
    4. Borghini
    5. Stevens

  10. VSP PICKS:

    1. Johansson
    2. Armistead
    3. Van Dijk
    4. Borghini
    5. Moolman

  11. VSP PICKS:

    1. Van Dijk
    2. Armitstead
    3. Johansson
    4. Longo Borghini
    5. Van der Breggen

  12. VSP PICKS:

    1. EMMA JOHANSSON
    2. ELLEN VAN DIJK
    3. ELISA LONGO BORGHINI
    4. KIRSTEN WILD
    5. LIESBETH DE VOCHT

  13. VSP PICKS:

    1. Johanasson
    2. Armistead
    3. Van Dijk
    4. Borghini
    5. Stevens

  14. VSP PICKS:

    1. Armitstead
    2. Stevens
    3. Van Dijk
    4. Johanssen
    5. Borghini

  15. VSP PICKS:

    1. Armitstead
    2. Johansson
    3. Stevens
    4. Borghini
    5. Van Dijk

  16. Van Dijk solos to the win, Armitstead sits on then wins the small group sprint for second.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Ellen Van Dijk
    2. Lizzie Armitstead
    3. Kirsten Wild
    4. Emma Johanssen
    5. Marianne Vos

  17. VSP PICKS:

    1. Van Dijk
    2. Johansson
    3. Lizzie A
    4. Van dear breggen
    5. Pieters

  18. The route looks like someone threw spaghetti at a map, trying to hit Oudenaarde.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Lizzie Armitstead
    2. Ellen van Dijk
    3. Emma Johansson
    4. Anna van der Breggen
    5. Elisa Longo Borghini

  19. VSP PICKS:

    1. Lizzie Armitstead
    2. Annemiek Van Vleuten
    3. Emma Johansson
    4. Jolien D’Hoore
    5. Roxanne Knetemann

  20. VSP PICKS:

    1. Armitstead
    2. Emma Johansson
    3. van der Breggen
    4. Kirsten Wild
    5. van Dijk

  21. VSP PICKS:

    1. Evie Stevens
    2. Armistead
    3. Van Dijk
    4. Johansson
    5. Longo Borghini

  22. VSP PICKS:

    1. Anna van der Breggen
    2. . ELISA LONGO BORGHINI
    3. Emma Johansson
    4. Annemiek Van Vleuten
    5. Kirsten Wild

  23. Vuck knows…

    VSP PICKS:

    1. VanDijk
    2. EVie SteVie
    3. Vos
    4. JoVhansson
    5. Van Vleuten

  24. VSP PICKS:

    1. Johansson
    2. Armitstead
    3. K. Wild
    4. Van der Breggen
    5. Longo Borghini

  25. VSP PICKS:

    1. Borghini
    2. Armistead
    3. Van Dijk
    4. Stevens
    5. Johansson

  26. VSP PICKS:

    1. Johansson
    2. Van Djik
    3. Armistead
    4. Longo Borghini
    5. Stevens

  27. VSP PICKS:

    1. Lizzie Armistead
    2. Evelyn Stevens
    3. Anna Van Der Breggan
    4. Elisa Longo Borghini
    5. Marijin De Vries

  28. Let the ladies hit the cobbles!

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Elisabeth Armistead
    2. Emma Johansson
    3. Evelyn Stevens
    4. Elisa Longo Borghini
    5. Ellen Van Dijk

  29. VSP PICKS:

    1. Ellen Van Dijk
    2. Evelyn Stevens
    3. Emma Johansson
    4. Armistead
    5. Wild

  30. Tough day out for the ladies. Hope I can find some live feed tomorrow morning. I’ll watch both!

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Longo-Borghini
    2. Johansson
    3. Stevens
    4. Wild
    5. Van Vleuten

  31. I beliEvie.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Evie Stevens
    2. Emma Jo
    3. Longo_Borghini
    4. Van Dijk
    5. Armstead

  32. VSP PICKS:

    1. Emma Johansson
    2. Van Dijk
    3. Longo Borghini
    4. Gunnewijk
    5. Ratto

  33. VSP PICKS:

    1. van Dijk
    2. Johansson
    3. Borghini
    4. van der Breggen
    5. Armistead

  34. VSP PICKS:

    1. Vos
    2. Johansson
    3. Van Dijik
    4. Borghini
    5. Stevens, Evie

  35. I thought I saw Marjin De Vries on the start list earlier this week, but I don’t see her on the list today. Substituting Anna van der Breggen.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Lizzie Armitstead
    2. Ellen van Dijk
    3. Emma Johansson
    4. Elisa Longo Borghini
    5. Anna van der Breggen

  36. VSP PICKS:

    1. E Armistead
    2. E Johansson
    3. I Slappendel
    4. T Antoshina
    5. G Bronzini

  37. VSP PICKS:

    1. Emma Johansson
    2. Ellen van Dijk
    3. Elizabeth Armitstead
    4. Anna van der Breggen
    5. Elisa Longo Borghini

  38. VSP PICKS:

    1. Emma Johannson
    2. Lizzie Armistead
    3. Ellen Van Dijk
    4. Annemiek Van Vleuten
    5. Anna Van Der Breggen

  39. What’s up with Mary V?

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Lizzie ArmiTstead
    2. Emma Johansson
    3. Ellen van Dijk
    4. Evelyn Stevens
    5. Kirsten Wild

  40. VSP PICKS:

    1. Stevens
    2. Johansson
    3. Armitstead
    4. Van Vleuten
    5. Hall

  41. Rolled a dice….

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Bizzy Lizzy (Armistead)
    2. Even Stevens
    3. Johansson (Emma)
    4. Lamborghini
    5. Van Dijk Chick

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