Velominati Super Prestige
The Velominati Super Prestige is a season-long competition wherein readers will be submitting their predictions for the top five finishers of each qualifying race. In order to qualify, your picks via the VSP Picks form above the posts section of the VSP Event article pertaining to the race in question by the time the countdown clock goes to zero at midnight on the day of the race start. These articles are clearly marked and are generally posted at least 72 hours in advance of each event. The current leader of the competition has the honor of posting on the site bearing the VSP Leader’s badge; winners of select races (the monuments and Grand Tours) similarly gain the honor of posting with a dedicated badge for the remainder of the year. Prizes may be given for key events; these prizes will be announced on the associated VSP Event. Points will be tallied as the season progresses and the winner will be announced after Paris-Tours. Prizes to be determined.
Scoring (One-Day Races)
Readers who wish to enter shall enter their predictions for the top five placings of each race by the time the countdown clock goes to zero at midnight PDT on the day of the race. Regular Points Points will be scored in reverse order of finishing order: 7 points for first place, 5 points for second, 4 for third, 3 for fourth, and 2 for fifth. Readers will also earn 1 bonus point for every other rider named in the top five, regardless of the rider’s placing, but riders are not scored twice. Tie Breaking In the event of a tie, the first reader to submit their predictions will be named the winner.
Scoring (Grand Tours)
Readers who wish to enter shall enter their predictions for the top five placings on General Classification of each Grand Tour by the time the countdown clock goes to zero at midnight PDT on the day of the first stage or prologue. Points Points will be scored as follows based on the final G.C of the race: 20 points for first place, 15 for second, 10 for third, 7 for fourth, and 5 for fifth; plus 3 points per rider in the top five regardless of the rider’s placing, but riders are not scored twice. Changing of the Picks* Contestants are allowed to make line up changes on one of the rest days of the Grand Tours but not both. These changes will come with a point penalty. You will be allotted one (1) rest day to make swaps in grand tours; you may pick either the first or second rest day. The penalties for swapping will be lower for the first rest day than the second. This will allow you to swap out a rider(s) who gets caught in some first week nervousness with a 5 point penalty for each swap. Or make some go for broke/doomed to fail break-away swap on the second rest day for a 10 point penalty for each swap. That’s it. You make one swap or five on either rest day for the corresponding 5 or 10 point penalty per swap. Additionally, if one of your riders crashes out, DNF’s, or DNS’s, you may swap them out on a rest day with corresponding penalties if you haven’t already used up your one rest day swap. Tie Breaking In the event of a tie, the first reader to submit their predictions will be named the winner. Minor Stages We will be posting VSP’s for minor stages as well. Scoring is similar to one-day racing, except no bonus points are in play for getting the rider in the wrong placing.
Scoring (Minor Stage Races)
Readers who wish to enter shall enter their predictions for the top five placings on General Classification of each Minor Stage Race (less than three weeks) by the time the countdown clock goes to zero at midnight PDT on the day of the first stage or prologue. Regular Points Points will be scored in reverse order of finishing order: 10 points for first place, 8 for second, 7 for third, 5 for fourth, and 3 for fifth; plus two bonus points per rider in the top five regardless of the rider’s placing, but riders are not scored twice. Tie Breaking In the event of a tie, the first reader to submit their predictions will be named the winner.
Posting Badges
The following badges will be worn by current leaders of the competition and sub-competitions:
| Overall Super Prestige Leader: |  |
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| Milano Sanremo: |  |
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| VVomen’s Ronde van Vlaanderen: |  |
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| Men’s Ronde van Vlaanderen: |  |
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| Paris-Roubaix: |  |
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| Leige-Bastogne-Liege: |  |
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| Giro d’Italia Leader: |  |
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| Giro Rosa Leader: |  |
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| Tour de France Leader: |  |
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| Vuelta a Espana Leader: |  |
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| Giro di Lombardia: |  |
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| Overal Super Prestige Lanterne Rouge: |  |
2016 Velominati Super Prestige Schedule
Les Hommes
Start |
End |
Event |
Race Website |
| 18.03.2017 | 18.03.2017 | Milano-Sanremo | www.milanosanremo.it |
| 26.03.2017 | 26.03.2017 | Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields | www.gent-wevelgem.be |
| 02.04.2017 | 02.04.2017 | Ronde van Vlaanderen – Tour des Flandres | www.flandersclassics.be |
| 09.04.2017 | 09.04.2017 | Paris-Roubaix | www.letour.fr |
| 16.04.2017 | 16.04.2017 | Amstel Gold Race | www.amstelgoldrace.nl |
| 19.04.2017 | 19.04.2017 | La Flèche Wallonne | www.letour.fr |
| 23.04.2017 | 23.04.2017 | Liège-Bastogne-Liège | www.letour.fr |
| 05.05.2017 | 28.05.2017 | Giro d’Italia | www.giroditalia.it |
| 04.06.2017 | 11.06.2017 | Critérium du Dauphiné | www.letour.fr |
| 10.06.2017 | 18.06.2017 | Tour de Suisse | www.tds.ch |
| 01.07.2017 | 23.07.2017 | Tour de France | www.letour.fr |
| 29.07.2017 | 29.07.2017 | Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian | www.klasikoa.net |
| 19.08.2017 | 10.09.2017 | La Vuelta ciclista a España | lavuelta.com |
| 08.09.2017 | 08.09.2017 | Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec | www.gpcqm.ca |
| 10.09.2017 | 10.09.2017 | Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal | www.gpcqm.ca |
| 20.09.2017 | 20.09.2017 | Mens World Championship Time Trial | |
| 24.09.2017 | 24.09.2017 | Mens World Championship Road Race | |
| 07.10.2017 | 07.10.2017 | Il Lombardia | www.illombardia.it |
La Femmes
Start |
End |
Event |
Race Website |
| 26.03.2017 | 26.03.2017 | Gent-Wevelgem In Flanders Fields | www.gent-wevelgem.be |
| 02.04.2017 | 02.04.2017 | Ronde van Vlaanderen / Tour des Flandres | www.flandersclassics.be |
| 16.04.2017 | 16.04.2017 | Amstel Gold Race | [email protected] |
| 19.04.2017 | 19.04.2017 | La Flèche Wallonne Féminine | www.letour.fr |
| 23.04.2017 | 23.04.2017 | Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes | www.letour.fr et www.pesantliege.be |
| 30.06.2017 | 09.07.2017 | Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile | |
| 20.07.2017 | 20.07.2017 | La Course by Le Tour de France | www.letour.fr |
| 29.07.2017 | 29.07.2017 | Prudential RideLondon Classique | www.ridelondon.co.uk/events/classique |
| 17.08.2017 | 20.08.2017 | Ladies Tour of Norway | www.ladiestour.no |
| 26.08.2017 | 26.08.2017 | GP de Plouay – Lorient Agglomération | www.grandprix-plouay.com |
| 29.08.2017 | 03.09.2017 | Boels Rental Ladies Tour | www.hollandladiestour.nl |
| 10.09.2017 | 10.09.2017 | Madrid Challenge by la Vuelta | lavuelta.com/Madridchallenge |
| 19.09.2017 | 19.09.2017 | Womens World Championship Time Trial | |
| 23.09.2017 | 23.09.2017 | Womens World Championship Road Race |
Standings
[vsp_gc year=”2017″/]
Past Results
[vsp_gc year=”2016″/]
[vsp_gc year=”2015″/]
[vsp_gc year=”2014″/]
[vsp_gc year=”2013″/]
[vsp_gc year=”2012″/]
[vsp_gc year=”2011″/]
2010 VSP G.C.
*The Changing of the Picks rules are designed to promote fair play and keep the competition fun and open throughout the three-week race. Abuse of these rules will be managed through the “Piti Principle”: if we we feel you are attempting to exploit loopholes or otherwise take advantage of the Changing of the Picks rules, we will penalize you by deducting points from your total score. Much like the UCI doping suspensions, the amount of points deducted will be based on how egregious the abuse was.
@Teocalli, No VSP for the Tour of California? I don’t want to Delgado if it is on the list.
@Rick
No the next is…..
Sunday, 3 June 2018
Criterium du Dauphine
@Rick
No the next is……
Sunday, 3 June 2018
Criterium du Dauphine
@Rick
The next is Criterium du Dauphine on 3rd June
@Rick
The next is Criterium du Dauphine on 3rd June
@Teocalli
Thanks
Virtual standings going into the second rest day. Crikey I seem to have pipped a nose in front on the final pitch there with my 4th and 5th picks. Suspect that won’t last…..Yates and Chaves looking uber cool at the end of the first week. Froome looking out of it unless others cook themselves.
@wiscot
I’d say that Yates isn’t great in a TT but he didn’t lose too much time to Dumoulin in the first TT.
So what he needs to do is to engineer himself a good buffer of time between himself and Dumoulin.
What Yates (and Chaves) have so far managed to do in this Giro which none of Froome’s rivals managed to do in the last Tour, is to take small amounts of time here and there. I think when you’re racing a guy who you know will be stronger in the TT, that’s what you need to do. The pressure will be on Dumoulin then.
Fascinating race in prospect from here…
@RobSandy
…..and they know from last year that they have to attack to get the buffer they can’t just wait and expect him to crack.
i’m very happy to see M-S wearing proper caps. I love the wee videos they do every day but they wear these hideous flat-brimmed caps most of the time. Real caps for the podium.
Now they just need to give Simon Yates a wee bit more personality . . . most of the team have plenty to spare!
How quickly it can change – Chaves dropped and distanced out of the reckoning by the looks of things but probably good for Yates as he will now be in a clear support role on the climbs.
@Teocalli
Hey all, once again the Amgen ToC is proving to be much more fun to watch than Giro. At least here in the states. For me. And if y’all didn’t catch Ian Stannard riding up to the front of the peloton yesterday, sharing a chuckle with the folks at pointy end, then proceeding to shred the group while reeling in the three man break, then ya missed a reminder why a person can’t help but love this cat. He didn’t get any press of course. But the performance was just another day in the office for a classic bike racer. Such a stud he is. Tao Geoghegan Hart took over for Sky to drill the remaining group up last climb before Egan Bernal simply rode off. Great stage for Sky.
Today, and I’m watching the DVR of stage 3 now, they finish at Laguna Seca. Just classic. And of course, the World Champ is always helping to animate the proceedings on the left coast of the US of A.
Cheers all
@Randy C
Saw bits of it on Eurosport, plus the Dutch Ronde van Overijssel…
@chris
Ha Ha! I had to go back and check that I hadn’t actually typed that by mistake. Nice correction though.
@chris
*Sniggers*
Can we all take a bit of time to applaud Simon Yates for his kit choices. No pink bike or bar tape, no pink gloves and certainly no pink bibs. Socks slightly too long? Better if they were white? I’m nitpicking.
@RobSandy
Totally agree. Classy kit for a classy rider. That helmet is a bit of an abomination though. I think the Italians are going to love Yates. He attacks, he wins, he gives teammates wins, he goes for sprint seconds. What’s not to like?
Chapeau Yates – what a finish today into Ozimo. Pretty amazing for Dumoulin too for that matter. That finish reminds me of Siena from Strada Bianche.
@Teocalli
Wasn’t it. Outpacing Wellens and Stybar is no mean feat.
But I agree, Dumoulin will take some encouragement from that. He’s not going to match Yates on Zoncolan but he might limit his losses… or force Yates into some miscalculation in trying to get more time over him.
@ChrisO
Likewise, Yates might be able to keep enough pressure on Tom D that he finally cracks in a big way on a climb.
It’s balanced and its intriguing.
@Randy C
I dunno … this year’s Giro is tons of fun to watch!
@Randy C
Speaking of ATOC, check out this amazing pic by my friend Darrell Parks on Stage 3: “Toms Skujins gets a little hang time as the peloton relaxes after letting the breakaway go up the road.”
Did anybody catch Frank’s audio appearance on Bespoke (the BBC cycling podcast) last night?
@Steve Trice
Nope – maybe it is on line somewhere on the BBC site that UK folk can access. Might hunt around later.
@Steve Trice
For those in the UK it’s here at just after 40 mins. Commenting on the history of the Giro. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p067d5tt
@Teocalli
It’s also available as a podcast via the usual apps and channels. I’ve got https://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/p02pcb42.rss as the address in Podcast Addict.
Thoughts on the Zoncolan: Yates has a good day and crushes it. Dumoulin and Pinot hang in there but eventually fade and Yates effectively wins the Giro.
Froome has a go. He has nothing to lose.
Sunday is the road to Sappada. I need to do my homework, but I’m pretty sure that in a 70s Giro, that road was someone’s downfall.
@wiscot
Did you post that before or after the stage?!
@RobSandy
Before! Oh if only my predictive powers were so routine and reliable.
Great ride by Froome and Yates. I think Yates may go for more time tomorrow as he has a decent gap on Tom D, but not huge. He needs a bit more for Tuesday’s TT.
Froome just redeemed himself in the eyes of RCS that’s for sure.
With Froome in first place for my VSP, i thought it was a goner. But since yesterday, one never knows.
Read somewhere that Froome on his first Zocolan came in 22mins behind number 1. Yesterday he was 45 seconds faster than the nr 1 back then.
Chapeau Yates. Fantastic effort. Dumoulin did well to pull back to Pinot and Pozzovivo when he looked toasted for a while there.
I’d be happy if they hold these positions till the finish! Provisional standings going into the third week………
@KogaLover
Asthma has its advantages…….
@Rick
Though a Ventolin inhaler will not boost lung function for a non asthmatic ie it will not “over dilate” the airways but rather levels the playing field for a sufferer whose airways have become restricted by allowing them to relax to near normal.
@Teocalli
A Bader-esque show of strength from Yates there. What a ride.
Looking ahead – if it ends up about even on time after the TT between Yates and DuMoulin, there are lots of hilly days to come where Yates should easily be able to win back more time.
Bizarrely, I still wouldn’t count Froome out. In the normal course of things you’d expect him to take a minute or two over climbers like Lopez and Pozzivio, which could push him back up towards the podium – and then if he starts riding himself into form in the last week? Could be very interesting.
But as of now I think Yates looks very good to win it. And win it with good style.
@RobSandy
FFS
@RobSandy
I dunno – Reach for the Sky may be apt motto for Yates.
@Teocalli
Thanks for this piece of medicine-lecture, Dr Teocalli
@Teocalli
I have Dumoulin and Lopez NITRO so shouldn’t I have 2 points?
@chuckp
You are correct I had somehow put Moreno in provisional 5th place, which is weird as he’s not even riding!
It looks like a tailwind could play a big part in today’s TT, favouring riders who aren’t TT specialists.
But what if it was the other way around with a strong headwind that gave the big engines with a good aero position a real advantage over the power to weight guys? It already seems slightly bizarre that 34 km or about 40 minutes worth of work can nullify two weeks work of hard effort, teamwork and tactical riding.
If they’re going to have TTs, shouldn’t they at least be out and back affairs.
i’m a little surprised at the TT result. i had not expected such a performance from Dennis. the rest of the top 5 is less of a surprise.
Today’s result: Dumoulin halved his delta to Yates by and to 28 seconds. Wihout Yates’ bonus seconds, Dumouling would have been first.
Haven’t seen the footage yet, can’t wait to get home and see the replay. It aint over until the skinny Dumpoulin sings!
(the interweb gods prevented this post earlier)
Now that the TT’s over and we’re down to 2 real GC contenders, tactics will change. Look for someone like Aru, Chaves or Michael Woods to score a win in stages 18, 19 or 20 – if they can get the necessary cooperation from other non-GC teams.
@KogaLover
Ah, but remember, this is the Giro. Weirness and time bonuses are all part and parcel of the race.
Not to be too self-referential, but here’s a piece I penned a few years ago about the Giro and how time bonuses played a role in determining the winner.
http://www.velominati.com/2016/04/guest-article-prim-and-proper/
@wiscot
Lets hope Dumoulin and Prim are not alike then. But epic “ It pays dividends to not just play by the rules but truly understand them and it’s not always the strongest who wins, but the smartest.”
@KogaLover
Or as Coppi put it “Age and treachery will overcome youth and skill”
@Teocalli
@KogaLover
I like time bonuses, in the Giro and the Tour. I love watching the favourites sprinting madly for 4th, 5th, 6th place after a hard stage rather than just watching them all roll in easily.
Don’t laugh. Chris Froome has attacked with 80km to in the mountains.
What. The. Actual. Fuck.
@RobSandy
I cannot work. Glued to the screen.
Ever seen a GC leader crack so dramatically before? Genuine question.