Velominati Super Prestige

Velominati Super Prestige: Gent Wevelgem 2014

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The Kemmelberg is a brute. In my opinion, its the hardest of the cobbled climbs in the Spring Classics; it has a high speed tarmac approach that saps the guns of their snap. The transition from tarmac to cobbles is awful, the stones are very badly laid throughout and if you don’t hit it just right, you’ll come to a standstill. The cobbled part of the climb is long enough to make you consider a plea-bargain with any deity willing to listen before it ends with a brutal 23% ramp with good cobbles. The length, the camber, the gradient, and the way the stones are laid combine in a way that makes you feel every centimeter of the climb.

Gent Wevelgem is considered a sprinters classic, but it’s a shock considering how many climbs are along the route. I can’t imagine the Italian curses that must have escaped Cipollini’s mouth along his bumpy way to winning the race. No wonder he chucked the odd bidon at a motorbike.

I miss the old setup of the Cobbled Classics, with the Ronde on Sunday, Gent on Wednesday, and Roubaix on Sunday, but on the plus side, now we get to drool over the racing for three weeks instead of just one. So, check the start list, review the VSP Scoring Guidelines and get your picks in by the time the countdown clock goes to zero at midnight PDT on Sunday the 30th. If you think we mapped one of your picks wrong, use the dispute system and we’ll review it. Also remember to be precise enough in your description so we know which rider you mean; in other words, if you enter “Martin”, we will use our discretion (read: wild guess) to decide if you mean Tony or Dan – and that choice will not be negotiable once the the countdown clock goes to zero, so be sure to give yourself enough time.

Don’t forget we’ve got three major prizes for the season-long VSP:

  1. First place overall wins a Veloforma Strada iR Velominati Edition frame in addition to the customary VSP winner’s VVorkshop Apron
  2. Second place overall wins a set of hand built CR Wheelworks Arenberg wheelset in a custom Velominati paint scheme laced to orange Chris King hubs. (CR Wheelworks is Café Roubaix’s new wheel goods brand.)
  3. Third place overall wins a full Velominati V-Kit with accompanying custom orange Bont Vaypor+ road shoes.

Good luck, and don’t lose your Rule #43 spirit.

[vsp_results id=”29351″/]

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323 Replies to “Velominati Super Prestige: Gent Wevelgem 2014”

  2. SAGAN demonstrated today the correct text book way to finish and win E3 Prijs Harelbeke with 2 riders on your wheel.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. BOONEN Tom
    2. VAN AVERMAET Greg
    3. ROELANDTS Jurgen
    4. VANMARCKE Sep
    5. ROJAS José Joaquin

  5. VSP PICKS:

    1. P Sagan
    2. G Van Avermaet
    3. E Boasson Hagen
    4. F Cancellara
    5. T Boonen

  7. Swap out, seems Cav may be out due to a fever.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Fabien Cancellara
    2. Peter Sagan
    3. Greg Van Avermaet
    4. Edvald Boasson Hagen
    5. Simon Yates

  9. Cav out? Re-jig for me….

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Cancellara
    2. Ciolek
    3. Sagan
    4. Boasson Hagen
    5. G Thomas

  10. @unversio

    SAGAN demonstrated today the correct text book way to finish and win E3 Prijs Harelbeke with 2 riders on your wheel.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. BOONEN Tom
    2. VAN AVERMAET Greg
    3. ROELANDTS Jurgen
    4. VANMARCKE Sep
    5. ROJAS José Joaquin

    Yeah, his text book technique was to be so much FUCKIN better than the rest that you do not have to worry about tactics!  He was leading under the red kite which is text book how NOT to usually win a sprint at the end of a long road race.  When they jumped his wheel he just exploded and dusted them.  9 out of 10 (or maybe 99 out of 100) riders would have lost that one in his position.

    What an increible race!!!  o awesome!

    Also, not trying to be a jerk and argue with you but it was Sagan and if he is in the lead group with less than 1 k to go and no one else is a pure sprinter, it’s his race to lose.

  11. Well DAMN!  Tommeke also crashed hard today and fucked his thumb up.  hope it is better by Sunday but I would not count on him being full speed.  Farrar is impressing of late, though.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Cancellara
    2. Sagan
    3. Terpstra
    4. Stybar
    5. Farrar

  13. VSP PICKS:

    1. Sagan
    2. Terpstra
    3. Degenkolb
    4. Stybar
    5. Van Avermaet

  14. Shamefully I haven’t been on the site in a while and figured I had Delgado’d the fuck out of who knows how many races so far and then find I only missed MSR! Nice!

  15. Sorry -need to make a change – worried about Boonen

    On another note, call out on Rule #5 from LTD on Strava today…

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Hofland
    2. Degenkolb
    3. Kristoff
    4. Fabian
    5. GVA

  17. VSP PICKS:

    1. Peter Sagan
    2. John Degenkolb
    3. Kristoff
    4. Fabian Cancellara
    5. Tom Boonen

  18. Here’s my best guess

    VSP PICKS:

    1. boonen
    2. stybar
    3. cancellara
    4. degenkolb
    5. stannard

  23. Farrar seems to be going well.  Reckon by picking him he’ll be certain to have at least one crash tomorrow – maybe two.  Past form, and all that…

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Vanmarcke
    2. Boonen
    3. Degenkolb
    4. EBH
    5. Farrar

  25. VSP PICKS:

    1. Boonen
    2. Sagan
    3. Cancellara
    4. van Avermaet
    5. Stybar

  26. VSP PICKS:

    1. Cancellara
    2. Sagan
    3. Degenkolb
    4. van Avermaet
    5. Stybar

  27. VSP PICKS:

    1. Cancellara
    2. Boonen
    3. Roelandts
    4. Farrar
    5. Kristoff

  28. VSP PICKS:

    1. Boonen
    2. Sagan
    3. Van Avermaet
    4. Cancellera
    5. Kristoff

  30. VSP PICKS:

    1. Cancellara F
    2. Thomas G
    3. Sagan P
    4. Boonen T
    5. Stybar Z

  31. VSP PICKS:

    1. Tom Boonen
    2. Peter Sagan
    3. Moreno Hofland
    4. John Degenkolb
    5. Fabian Cancellara

  33. Complete re-think which has me throwing out all sentimental favourites.  Sorry Thor, Heinrich, Phillipe, Greg.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. VanMarcke
    2. Terpstra
    3. Farrar
    4. Cancellara
    5. Vandenberg

  34. VSP PICKS:

    1. Sagan
    2. Degenkolb
    3. Kristoff
    4. Vanmarcke
    5. Cancellara

  37. VSP PICKS:

    1. Peter Sagan
    2. Fabian Cancellara
    3. Tom Boonen
    4. Edvald Boasson Hagen
    5. Greg Van Avermaet

  38. At least Cav and Boonen have been good enough to withdraw before I put my picks in, so that’s saved me a hurried re-arrange at the last minute.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Faboo
    2. Stybar
    3. Sagan
    4. Vanmarcke
    5. Degenkolb

  39. VSP PICKS:

    1. Sagan
    2. Boonen
    3. Cancellara
    4. Dekengolb
    5. Boasson Hagen

  40. VSP PICKS:

    1. Boonen
    2. Vanmarke
    3. Boasson Hagen
    4. Paolini
    5. Cancellara

  41. VSP PICKS:

    1. Peter Sagan
    2. Tom Boonen
    3. Sep Vanmarcke
    4. fabian Cancellara
    5. zdenek Stybar

  42. VSP PICKS:

    1. Tom Boonen
    2. Peter Sagan
    3. Edvald Boasson Hagen
    4. Tyler Farrar
    5. Arnaud Démare

  43. Sagan allllll the way down in 4th…..not sure that’s the best pick but I’m going with it.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Cancellara, Fabian
    2. Stybar, Zdenek
    3. Van Avermaet, Greg
    4. Sagan, Peter
    5. Stannard, Ian

  44. VSP PICKS:

    1. Peter Sagan
    2. Sep Vanmarcke
    3. Fabian Cancellara
    4. Tom Boonen
    5. Greg Van Avermaet

  45. VSP PICKS:

    1. Zdenek Stybar
    2. Tyler Farrar
    3. Peter Sagan
    4. Lars Boom
    5. Tom Boonen

  46. VSP PICKS:

    1. Sagan
    2. Cancellara
    3. Degenkolb
    4. Bosson Hagen
    5. Van Avermaet

  47. Right, let’s see if I’m just a jinx

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Cancellara
    2. Sagan
    3. Hushovd
    4. Goss
    5. Greipel

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