Spain is an awesome country. It has amazing scenery, culture, cities and chicas… oh, the chicas. Its football competition features the world’s best players, their national team are the reigning World Cup holders, and they boast world champions in tennis, Moto GP, Superbikes and Formula 1. They regularly kick the collective asses of France and Italy, and a lot of other European countries when it comes to bicycle racing, although most of their recent heroes have somewhat of a cloud hanging over them. So why does their Grand Tour hardly raise an eyebrow when compared to the other two big tours, and why the fuck do they still allow cowards on horses armed with poison darts to taunt and kill a beast as noble as el toro for ‘entertainment’?
I can’t really answer the last one, but the fact that La Vuelta is treated like the road racing equivalent of a red-headed stepchild is about as fair as the Corrida itself. To me, and to many pros, it is seen as a tour of redemption. Those who, for one reason or another, either due to bad luck, bad management or bad form suffered a less-than-stellar Tour de France, now get a chance to make something of their season and add a ‘major’ to their palmares. Riders like Jan Ullrich, who in 1999 took the amarillo jersey after sitting out Le Tour with a dicky knee. 2008 saw Contador make amends after his Astana team was prevented from starting le Grande Boucle under a doping cloud. In fact, La Vuelta and doping have more than a passing aquaintance, with Valverde winning while under a pending hearing in 2009, and of course little Robbie Heras getting stripped of his 05 title after an EPO positive. Last year wasn’t without its own scandal, with a positive for 2nd place ‘sensation’ Ezequiel Mosquera dragging La Vuelta’s name through the red dust again. It could well be the dirtiest tour of them all, a race that itself seeks atonement as much as those who race it.
This year’s edition has the same sense of redemption written all over it, with some of Le Tour’s unfortunates having a crack at it. There’s Wiggo, who was in the self-proclaimed form of his life before snapping his twig-like collarbone early on. Can he show us what he had promised on the roads of France in the Dauphine, or will the Spanish heat and steep, long climbs be too much for him? How about Jurgen Van den Broeck, also looking great before his own clavicle calamity ended his July. Invisible Denis will also be there, his Geox team considered not good enough for the Tour, out to show that he’s still a force and add to his two Spanish victories. Other battered old warhorses who will never give up easily are Andreas Klöden and Carlos Sastre, but father time may have finally taken its toll on this duo.
In reality, it’ll probably come down to the younger brigade made up of last year’s winner Vinnie Nibali, J-Rod, Scarponi, and Anton. It could be a blow-out, or one of the best races of the year. We may even get another drug controversy to keep up the status quo of years gone by. Whatever happens is anybody’s guess, which is why this race is one of the hardest to pick for VSP contenders, and one that might even be as exciting, vibrant and colourful as the country it traverses for three hot weeks.
So pour yourself a glass of Sangria, give the start list a long or glancing look, and post your picks before 5am Pacific time (yeah, I don’t know when the hell that is either…) and if you have any doubts, confusion or questions, head to the VSP page for clarification, rules and/or rebuttals. No horsing around, no bullshit.
Buena suerte!
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@paolo
sorry, off duty when I wrote that - thinking of a Boonen-esque scenario
@G'phant
what aspect od Riis do you reckon they referred to exactly????
@G'phant
There are a few carefully worded reports out there.
According to one set of figures Cobo climbed the last, most difficult 5.5km (up to the part where it descends to the finish) 8 seconds faster than Contador in 2008.
His power to weight ratio for the whole climb (11.5km) was 6.2 W/kg and his VAM 1826. (1194m in 39m 13sec)
To put that in perspective, it's higher than Pantani's when he broke the record on Alpe d'Huez.
Makes you wonder why he waited until he was 30 years old to reveal that he is not only one of the world's greatest climbers but a Grand Tour winner to boot.
If we have learned two things from recent cycling history they are:
1. Be enormously suspicious about people who suddenly show form and figures that they have not previously produced. Cobo has only once finished top ten in a grand tour, in 2009.
2. Associations matter - people riding on dirty teams, with dirty doctors and dirty directeurs who ride in a way that is too good to be true, are probably not true. Cobo's previous best ? The 2008 Tour when he won the stage from Pau to Hautacam riding in the Saunier-Duval team with Piepoli and Ricco. Saunier-Duval was managed by Mauro Gianetti who now runs the Geox team.
When people fit into both those categories you'd have to believe in Father Christmas and the Tooth Fairy to take it at face value.
I would have similar suspicion of Chris Froome but the exceptions are that he is younger and on the way up in terms of races and teams. He also doesn't have the associations, something which Sky have been extremely careful about (unlike Green Edge, for the Aussies ;-) ).
@ChrisO
interesting stuff Chris - if I had seen anyone else straightlining it up the crowd festooned section of 24%, fair enough - but when one person with massive thighs blasts up like that without fatiguing visibly, it seems a little odd - witness Contador et al in the TdF this year, they all blew up eventually
I'm trying to remain objective whilst feeling really sorry for Brad, as he was the most fucked rider at the end of each stage over the last week, nobody seemed to give more, then this happens.....maybe we should ask the same of Froome indeed, especially after his amazing TT....
Anyway, I think Brad was awesome and clean and I love him all the more for what he is doing - still a week to go, but can't see the chances anywhere, unless Cobo falls off I guess - great drama though - my 8 year old has even started watching it!!
@Chris @Buck Rogers
re P-R - I suspect I will have to give it a miss in 2012, maybe look at it the year after - Trans Pyrenee will be a ballbreaker, so lots of hills will be needed rather than a flat sportif and loads a beer watching the dust racing
defo have to do it sometime though
@Frank et al
I had Scarponi at number 5 and when he abandoned I swapped all five of my selections (like the side note said I could).
Like many heartless rule benders before me, I have proven to be a double loser because I'm still nowhere in the VSP!
Please make my penalty severe so it may serve as an example to others.
Forgive me Merckx for I have sinned.
Did anyone else spot this quote from Nibali in Cycling news, "Yes, he hasn't ridden like that since the Tour stage at Hautacam in 2008." (finished with Michael Cera and Piepoli) Ouch.
No changes for me. I'm sticking to my guns.
Besides, if I make more changes my penalties will kill me anyway.
What a race.
Boy, black shoes and black socks look terrible. Might make sense for mtn. or cross where there is mud, but c'mon now. It look crap when racing road bikes.
Then again, not much looks good in the Geox camp...
What brake caliper is Cobo using? Looks to be a BMX brake.
@Ron
I ride with black shoes and black socks. I think it looks better than yellow or red, which were my other shoe color options. The Geox-TMC kit is horrid though. Looks more like some race car festooned with haphazardly placed branding, rather than a kit with a unified design.
@Collin
they must have diverted their budget elsewhere
@ Nibali +1
@Harminator
I must say Harminator, you are a credit to yourself and your Nation - not only are you suffering in the VSP, you want more suffering heaped upon your sorry ass - good man yerself!!
Just a suggestion - hill repeats with no shoes and the saddle removed - should suffice
VSP PICKS (2nd Rest Day Swaps):
1. Twiglets
2. Nibbles
3. Scampi and Chips
4. Dan Martini, shaken not swigged
5. Granittoo (crappy anagram)