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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View Comments
@Ron
gotta disagree there Ron. Wiggins looks fucking fantastic riding an IP. It is his Australian roots that help him look that good on the track.
And what would you know anyway BoatShoeBoy?
@Marcus
Maybe but he's not quite on the level of Neil Stephens is he (who Sky wouldn't hire).
I think you'll find the owner of Team Sky is an American.
And technically I'm also Australian, at least that's what one of my passports says ;-) I just haven't lived there for a long time - nearly 20 years now. I'd sell Rupert my spot if he made me a decent offer.
Can Cobo hold on? Heck if I know, but with Menchov playing domestique I like his chances, and I really have no other play having already swapped out Scarps and Igor on rest day one.
VSP PICKS (2nd Rest Day Swaps):
1. Cobo
2. Wiggins
3. Mollema
4. J Rod
5. Menchov
History suggests if I make any rest day swap my new picks will be just as crap as my old ones, so I'll save Frank the bother of mapping more useless picks. Is there an "abandon" button? Fuck.
@Nate @LA Dave
cynical foul, shame on you both, let the shit fly!
whilst winning is everything, so is losing with your chosen compadres
@Ron
re-Wiggo
- clearly I am Wiggo's no1 fan, but I think you have a point - his dress sense is a bit whacky at times - just needs a little tweak - a bit like a Mini should have the Union Flag/Jack on it's roof removed on delivery
that said, I also find TTs really tedious, but I could watch Wiggo all day on his slippy way - ignoring his outfit, he is the embodiment of supersmooth, abit like Spartacus, once you've turned the heavy bass beat off
Go Wiggo, ya fricken wierdo!!
@ChrisO
1. I was only rebutting your comment that Sky have been "very careful not to" employ riders with "a past".
2. With reference to Neil Stephens specifically , I think you will find that Dave Brailsford has admitted to having talks with him about coming on board with Sky. The difference between Yates and Stephens is that one has actually tested positive and one has admitted to taking EPO ("unknowingly"...). Which is the cleaner rider?
3. As to Murdoch, that was just a passport thingy to get around some US ownership laws. Rupey is an Aussie through and through, just like Twiggo is really a Belgian...
@ Oli
Oli, do you remember you posted a french video of the Tour de France in the 70s/80s, the one with the guy slowly cycling to a standstill and falling in a ditch, and the dudes on the motorcycles all getting wankered as the TdF riders ran into the local shops to have their way with the owner's daughters??
Can you link it again - I can't find it, and it was priceless - couple of mates keen to view it
Cheers
@Chris
Gave the matter some consideration while climbing yesterday and I didn't really come to any great conclusions (possibly due to oxygen starvation) other than if any swaps are to be made, it should only really be the DNF that can be swapped out. As far as whether DNF swaps should be allowable, it's a hard one. On the one hand DNF's as a result of a big crash come across as being more legit than simple retirements, it isn't always as cut and dried as that in that we don't really know what the reasons behind the retirements are and how much pain has been endured to that point. I would be reasonably confident that there aren't too many VSP contenders that simply give up. It also seems to me that where the race in question is where the riders are able to stay in contention by changing wheels and bikes etc, then it is not unreasonable for us to make VSP swaps.
The other subjects given consideration while climbing were much more basic concepts such as surely the end must be round the next corner, wtf are people on ablout when the talk about going sur la plaque on climbs and thank fuck I've given up smoking! As time went on I did find my mind emptying and subconsciously I did, on occasion, move to a smaller cog.
@Chris
good points, but surely pulling out of the race is the same as doing badly - a full on face plant with fractures seems the only reason to stop that is beyond one's control, or getting run over by the Commissaire's Skoda
Sur la Plaque seems to be a state of mind, somedays you can, if you are full of testosterone and in a group, but sometimes you can't.....but then you can control your mind, so the day becomes irrelevant
Are you back from Espagne yet? Did you shave your legs?