Velominati Super Prestige: Giro d’Italia 2016
Ladies and gentlemen, prepare for the Giro, 2016, starting in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands and finishing in Torino, Italy. Here is a provisional start list. The riders make the race so it should be fantastic racing, a race up the whole of the country, for three weeks, what’s not to love? The Giro usually has a crazy stage and we are unsure what this year’s edition holds in that category, maybe more racing at night, or on dirt, bring it on. The Shark, Landa, Malmerde, Uran Uran, even Red Ryder, and more, each have a decent shot at the over all.
We all know the drill, this race starts on Friday so keep your delgado monkey on a tight leash. Consult your personal oracles; there are bike frames, carbon wheels, V-kit and more for the winners of the season-long overall VSP. Further details can be found on the VSP page. Bon chance.
[vsp_results id=”42800″/]
VSP PICKS (2nd Rest Day Swaps):
VSP PICKS (2nd Rest Day Swaps):
Going against my instinct here, but what the hell.
VSP PICKS (2nd Rest Day Swaps):
@Oli
Too right, he’s just useless, always. No idea what possessed me to put him in, probably because he’s always talked up and you think “maybe he will actually do something this time…” He never does.
@frank why are swaps already closed? Can you please open them up again?
@brett
Ditto – and what possessed me to make that swap on the first rest day? Plonker.
Oh dear, Pink and Celeste do not go together well but who on earth chose to do it like this…..
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/product-news/steven-kruijswijks-pink-celeste-bianchi-230270?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social
………with apologies for posting this.
oh man picks closed really early. Would have loved to swap Chaves and Valverde!
@Teocalli
Given that he seems not to be riding it then maybe he didn’t like the look of it either.
Might be a short stage but it’s certainly shaking things out!
@Teocalli
Makes me want to sell my Bianco on Craigslist just for being related to that abomination. The 80’s called and even the 80’s hate that bike.
Wow – what a stage. Two weeks in and the Maglia Rosa is sprinting for a stage win and almost getting it. Kruisjwijk seems like the real deal.
@Erik
Bianchi. Damn you autocorrect.
Looks like Malmerde has done his own version of the rest day swap. Cunt.
Wait for it people, Nibali just had a bad day! I predict a day-long break-away ala Floyd Landis, complete with subsequent dope test fail.
Skip takes the lead after a crazy stage!
To all Velominati,
Whatever deity you might subscribe to (other than the true Prophet), get on your knees and pray that Malmerde doesn’t win the Giro. There’s just something not right about the way he’s riding so strongly. C’mon the Bob deLux and Stevie “Shoulderpads” Kruijswijk! As for Nibbles, he’s about to become Aru’s bitch.
Here go my picks……
never swap a losing team, that’s my motto
@Teocalli
Yup, that’s been how my VSP season has gone from the very beginning.
@wiscot
So, something “not right” about Piti, who’s been at the top for a decade, riding “strongly”, but no suspicion of Kruiswijk covering attacks, time trialing, riding like he’s never ridden before?
@brett
is it the Rabobank connection? His record since U23 WC has been steady if unspectacular, big jump from 7th at last years race, such a shame we can’t just think he’s riding great.
@piwakawaka his race last year was weird, he went in nearly every break & yet still pulled a top 10 finish. His results in the first TT weren’t spectacular, he was basically the same pace as Nibali & Malmerde.
That was a exciting last 20kms. I enjoyed watching Kluge raise his hands to his head in joyous disbelief. Good on him. The next three stages look like Giro Gold, with a ton of room for some surprising breaks and bonks.
@Mikael Liddy
Yeah, his overall placing didn’t reflect his race last year, in my opinion. He was super aggressive throughout and finished 3rd in the mountains classification. He finished 8th in 2011 Giro, four years prior. I’d like to think it’s more a coming of age thing – he’s been up and down for a few years, but the trend has been up, and now he’s stronger and smarter. But I’ve been wrong before…
Man, I thought that was HH for Yam cycling. When is the last time that super talented dude won? I know it ain’t easy at the top, but gotta wonder how/why that guy can’t break through with consistent wins.
Great win for Kluge today. Never gave up and kept it going – gotta love the big rouleurs like Kluge, Cummings, Stannard et al.
I really enjoyed watching Lars Bak driving the break in the last 20 ks or so. Someone needs to make a gif of him gesturing to his fellow breakaway riders to keep rolling through.
Ok, I’m a big Brambilla fan. Kid rides hard and is a team player. Even though his 50-50 chance of winning today was scuppered by his teammate Trentin who clearly was firing on all jets in the last km (whereas I think Brambilla was cooked.) He was really happy his teammate won. I guess at the end of the day it’s a win for the team and that’s what counts. This has been a great Giro for EQS and they won the Tour of California with Alaphillippe. Makes up for their pretty poor spring.
@wiscot
I was just having this same discussion in the office this morning about EQS’s performances in May compared to their dismal spring.
@TheVid
I wish I could have those kind of discussions in the office! That being said, one of my colleagues was wearing pink the other day and I congratulated her on her timely choice of color given that the Giro was in full swing. “Huh?” was the reply.
All change at the top, I can’t wait to watch it tonight.
What a stage! Great surprise to see Nibs at his best. Great to see Chaves staying consistent. Bummer to see Zakarin crash out, hope he’s OK. All up for grabs tomorrow, and what a penultimate stage course it is, with constant climbing and decending. Can’t wait!
@stooge
FUCKING amazing stage!!! I watched it while on the rollers. So awesome.
Now 3 out of my 5 picks have DNF’d the race. @xyxax: Do you have a term for that a la your NITRO???
@Ron
Start of last year, Aus R/R champs
@Buck Rogers
The whole stage on rollers?! Hardcore.
3 out of 5 of my picks are out of contention (or DNF if you take that to mean Did Not Figure in Uran’s case) but if Piti fails tomorrow I could still come out of it with 20 points which would probably come quite up the standings if you were to net off the rest day swap penalties. As we stand I’m on 18.
@Buck Rogers
Yeah, that’s the right term for it – FUCKING AMAZING! I wish I could have watched it on the rollers. Might have helped get the nervous energy under control. As it is my heart rate is still up and I was seated the whole time. Good heart shown by Kruijswijk to try to stay in touch. Hope he’s up for a race tomorrow.
While we’re waiting, here’s how to come back on a decent as a grand tour leader:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxXqQqAc2pA
Today’s stage could coin a new nickname for the ex-Giro leading Dutchman…….Krashwijk.
Hell, it’s better than his current peloton nickname, “the Coat Hanger”.
@fignons barber
Haha! Krashwijk – I like it. Poor bloke, that was a terrible error. Bet he’ll be wishing for a while yet that he descended at his own pace and saved it for the climb. From what I saw he was fortunate to be able to mount that bike, or any bike, after his fall.
@chris
@stooge
Ha @chris! Nope, only 1.5 hours on the rollers! Sorry for the confusion there! I wish I could do the whole stage on rollers!
@stooge! No kidding! I could not tell if I had my HR up from the ride or from the stage! Had my highest average HR on rollers for over a year! Crazy awesome stage!
God I LOVE the Giro!!!
Good lord, spent the morning at the DMV (to add insult to 2.5 hours of waiting…I’ve now given up my Yankee status and have a license in the South) and I missed that stage! One guy goes into a snowbank, the other into a stream?
The 2nd Katusha director hopped the stream in quite a dainty way, kinda looked like Costanza when he hoped the puddle in such a way that a kid called him a Mary.
@Buck Rogers
A-Merckx, Brother! A-Merckx!
What a race!! Stoked Nibbles is baring his teeth, but bummed my countryman Kruiswijk went down. Looks painful!
Looks like he had one moment of hesitation, stopped pushing on his inside drop, went vertical…then it was a drift into the bank. Amazing he hopped up that quickly after a pretty theatrical crash.
Amazing race! With Nibbles’s ride today the podium is up for grabs tomorrow. Mind you, I think Stevie Shoulderpads is done (physically and mentally) and Bob deLux is too far down to hit the top 5. Nibs could win it tomorrow.
Why wasn’t the Lotto team car near Kruijswijk? If you have your man in pink with no teammates near him, wouldn’t you have one team car nearby?
I hope Zakarin is ok. He looked in a bad way lying there.
@Buck Rogers
DNFucked!
My first and third pick are now second and fourth (like a lot of us here), @45 seconds back of their bogeys. Take your “vitamins” tonight, boys!
@wiscot
They said that he was talking and making sense. “Only” a collarbone fracture.
@xyxax
Perfetto!!! You, my friend, should be the The Keeper of the Lexicon!
@xyxax
Hold as you are boys. My best chance of rescuing something from this one!
@Buck Rogers
He’s a lucky guy. Could have been WAY worse. Same for Stevie K – with shoulders like his, I’m surprised his collarbone didn’t snap like a twig when he hit the wall o’ snow.
Should be pretty epic tomorrow! My prediction: Nibs, the Chav, and Piti on the podium. Stevie K will have an awful day mores the pity, as without that crash I think he’d be in with a shout of victory.
Damn. One cool dude. He really pulled out an epic comeback ride. That was racing today.