Velominati Super Prestige: Amstel Gold 2013

Philippe_Gilbert
He earned those stripes around Limburg.

Yes it is a race named after a barely drinkable Dutch beer. I have enjoyed Amstel beer, brought to our table by a nice waitress, sitting outside in the Dutch spring. Atmosphere is everything. Do the Dutch brew awesome beer? I drank some good stuff in Amsterdam last spring but I’m pretty sure it was Belgian.

Now we begin the Ardennes three race-fest of Amstel, La Fléche Wallone and LBL. Peter Sagan has been resting up, Phil Gil is looking for his 2011 form (or his cortisone), Andy Schleck is suiting up for da ‘Shack. The big Spring Classic boys have moved on to the couch. They are not welcome here. Riding up to the start line now are the tough riders who can climb and climb again. Power to weight ratios must be honed to the razor’s edge to win these Ardennes races. Cancellara has talked of losing weight to be competitive in Liége-Bastogne-Liége. Just winning Ronde van Vlaanderen does not qualify you to win in the Ardennes races. Unless your first name was Edddy and last name Merckx.

Enjoy the start list. The betting window is open. Do not let Pedro Delgado sit on your couch.

[vsp_results id=”23072″/]

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191 Replies to “Velominati Super Prestige: Amstel Gold 2013”

  1. VSP PICKS:

    1. sagan
    2. gilbert
    3. gerrans
    4. valverde
    5. j rodriguez

  2. No wins, no leads that you don’t need

    Amstel Gold is my VSP.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Sagan
    2. Gilbert
    3. Gerrans
    4. J Rod
    5. Van Avermaet

  3. VSP PICKS:

    1. Gilbert
    2. Sagan
    3. Boasson Hagen
    4. Terpstra
    5. Van Avermaet

  4. VSP PICKS:

    1. Gilbert
    2. Sagan
    3. Gerrans
    4. Boasson Hagen
    5. Van Avermaet

  5. Just around the corner, a few more hours!

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Sagan
    2. Gilbert
    3. Gerrans
    4. Slagter
    5. van avermaet

  6. But is takes 2 goes to get my picks entered.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Gerrans
    2. Sagan
    3. Gilbert
    4. Boss
    5. J Rod

  7. VSP PICKS:

    1. Sergio Henao Montoya
    2. Joaquim Rodriguez
    3. Phillip Gilbert
    4. Rigoberto Uran
    5. Alejandro Valverde

  8. VSP PICKS:

    1. Philippe Gilbert
    2. Peter Sagan
    3. Joaquím Rodríguez
    4. Enrico Gasparotto
    5. Simon Gerrans

  9. That was close, almost a Delgado. gotta go with the heart – love the way Voeckler rides and he’s looked solid this spring.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Voeckler
    2. J-Rod
    3. Sagan
    4. Valverde
    5. Gilbert

  10. VSP PICKS:

    1. Valverde Belmonte
    2. Rodriguez-Oliver
    3. Gilbert
    4. Quintana
    5. Sagen

  11. This time …

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Purity
    2. Gibbles
    3. Bumpinch
    4. Terpstra
    5. Gerro

  12. Delgado’d again! Mind you the original Delgado moment made for a dramatic start to the most dramatic tour ever so let’s hope that spirit translates into tonight’s race.

  13. @xyxax Are you still in Perth ?

    My man Youcef was there doing the UCWT Masters (he finished 7th and qualified for the World Championships) and said while he was doing his warmup in our Frankie’s team kit someone came up and asked him about the article on Velominati. Thought it might be you.

    If not, and it’s another lurker, make yourself known brother and testify in the church of Merckx.

  14. Ah, yes Perth and Brooklyn are easily confused, though I don’t know how I got asyax and xyxax mixed up.

  15. Dear commisaires: I will take a Delgado, but my picks didn’t stick. What happemed? See above com ment where I describe my whole plan.

    Shit.

    This is what I get for choosing family over bike yesterday. If I am right… I will be pissed!

  16. Wow, crashes causing issues for some big names so far…Tommy V out with a broken leg, Andy out with a pulled heartstring & Purito looks to have done something to a knee.

  17. @biggles

    I’m really liking the slow-motion thing they are doing this season.

    seeing plenty of it when the live pictures die!

  18. @Mikael Liddy

    @biggles

    I’m really liking the slow-motion thing they are doing this season.

    seeing plenty of it when the live pictures die!

    Yup. And it’s better than last season when I just had to watch pixels and the commentators going ”well bugger”.

    I just looked at my VSP picks and realised I had not put my money on Vansummeren for second place like I wanted to in the first place. Harrumph.

    Pliuschin is doing awesome. He’s from my part of the world so I hope he does well. :D

  19. @Mikael Liddy

    Wow, crashes causing issues for some big names so far…Tommy V out with a broken leg, Andy out with a pulled heartstring & Purito looks to have done something to a knee.

    Tommy V broke his leg?  I cannot even imagine the face he must have made.  I mean, he turns his face inside out and spins his head around 180 degrees when he ups his cadence by 5 rpm. Must have been something to see.

  20. Sean Kelly just stated that during his races at PR he used: 53/46 up front and a straight block 11/21 in the back. Also something about “ya, I had to get in the 46 a couple times”. Fuck.

  21. @Buck Rogers

    @Mikael Liddy

    Wow, crashes causing issues for some big names so far…Tommy V out with a broken leg, Andy out with a pulled heartstring & Purito looks to have done something to a knee.

    Tommy V broke his leg? I cannot even imagine the face he must have made. I mean, he turns his face inside out and spins his head around 180 degrees when he ups his cadence by 5 rpm. Must have been something to see.

    It’s now been updated to a broken collarbone.

  22. @scaler911 Assuming you’re getting the same feed,  that was Magnus Backstedt.

    One way to tell – did he say fifty three or fifty tree ?

  23. Good race, that.

    Though I may have gotten everything wrong in the VSP.

    I guess you live and you learn. Or at any rate you live.

  24. Damn, saw Ryder bridge up to the chase group and had some fleeting hope that he would pull something off, but he crumpled on the last climb.  Props to Roman K. great ride.

  25. Bloody hell, the Roman Cross pulls it off! Not a fan of the 2k time trial after the Cauberg to be honest.

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