Velominati Super Prestige: Giro D’Italia 2013

Pink Ryder photo:REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo

Twiggo is dreaming of a Giro-Tour double. He has sent out mixed messages about his Tour ambitions. Will he use the Giro as the ultimate Tour preparation or will be burn all his matches in May and hope he can find another pack for July? He has abandoned his successful 2012 Tour run-up strategy of winning every stage race he entered the previous spring. Now it’s the seclusion of Mount Doom of Tenerife, his coach and his watt meter his only competition. Team Sky is supporting Wig with a very strong squad, including superman, Kanstantsin Siutsou and with Cav no longer a teammate, it’s all the knights of the round table for Sir Twig.

Will the curse of the god-awful Astana kit continue to haunt non-Kazahk riders? Can Vincenzo’s Italian mojo overpower its powerful pale blue and yellow aura? Roman Kreuziger was finally able to win a big race once he shed that kit and pulled on one of Bjarne’s Saxo jerseys. Maybe it was more Bjarne and less jersey that made the difference.

Ryder gets no respect as the defending champion. His little dance at the end of Liége-Bastogne-Liége showed he is fit and ready for a fight. He can time trial, he can climb. Personally I have to back the local boy. And I always hate the overpowered, overwhelming favorite (read Team Sky here) in any race, unless that racer is Fabian Cancellara. No one can say Fabs has won a race this year surrounded with a team as strong as Sky’s. The Shack is just the Shack or a shack. Once Cancellara leaves for the Swiss “I AM” team, it’s lights out in the shack. Frandy, don’t forget to turn out ’em out when you leave.

If Cavendish wins the first day’s sprinter’s stage he will be in pink. He may be out of it after stage two, a team time trial.

But this is the Giro: crazy, unexpected, beautiful things can happen. The spinning wheels of fortuna are less predictable in Italy as they are in France in July. The betting window is now open. The complete start list is not yet available, an incomplete one is here and shall be updated soon. So sleep on your picks, wait for all the teams to make it official, unless you want to go with the obvious all Sky podium. The race begins Saturday so don’t Delgado away a Grand Tour opportunity.

[vsp_results id=”23343″/]

Gianni

Gianni has left the building.

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View Comments

Deakus says:

May 14 2013 at 8:09 am

O dear, I see Biggles cracking and Uran becoming point man, so Biggles decides to try and push Froomedog out of his Tour spot....
PeakInTwoYears says:

May 14 2013 at 8:17 am

He was Hungry Like the Wolf.
Mikael Liddy says:

May 14 2013 at 8:21 am

Looks like the Storm Troopers just got themselves a new leader to march for.
frank says:

May 14 2013 at 8:22 am

Wow, awesome stage. Hesj is but a whisper on the breeze at this point. Wiggo not looking so good for the win, and the race seems to be down to Nibbles and Evans.

@Blake takes over the provisional standings.

Provisional Race Results
1. NIBALI Vincenzo

2. EVANS Cadel

3. URAN URAN Rigoberto

4. WIGGINS Bradley

5. GESINK Robert

Provisional VSP Standings
1. Blake (38 points)

2. Mikael Liddy (37 points)

3. Tobin (34 points)

4. ramenvelo (32 points)

5. Smithers (30 points)

6. Duende (30 points)

7. frank (30 points)

8. Mirko (30 points)

9. RedRanger (28 points)

10. King Clydesdale (28 points)

11. Dufferin Sportif (27 points)

12. mouse (26 points)

13. ped (26 points)

14. mbarston (26 points)

15. seemunkee (26 points)

16. Nate (26 points)

17. Mike_P (26 points)

18. Noel (26 points)

19. Don Amedo (26 points)

20. scaler911 (26 points)

21. Daccordi Rider (26 points)

22. Rigid (26 points)

23. Alex (26 points)

24. V-olcano (26 points)

25. Dashiell (26 points)

26. MJ Moquin (26 points)

27. leadout (26 points)

28. sprider (26 points)

29. Ron (26 points)

30. San Tonio (24 points)

31. razmaspaz (23 points)

32. Simon (23 points)

33. Bianchi Denti (23 points)

34. gladoe (23 points)

35. moondance (23 points)

36. Donnie Bugno (23 points)

37. napolinige (23 points)

38. Patrick (23 points)

39. sehmis (23 points)

40. il ciclista medio (23 points)

41. Souleur (23 points)

42. taon24 (23 points)

43. Russ (23 points)

44. dancollins (23 points)

45. Chica (23 points)

46. pakrat (23 points)

47. gallilano (21 points)

48. DocBrian (21 points)

49. Gervais (21 points)

50. strathlubnaig (21 points)

51. Skip (21 points)

52. stickyjumper (21 points)

53. Dino (20 points)

54. Nosyt (19 points)

55. Deakus (18 points)

56. Sauterelle (18 points)

57. Heihachi (16 points)

58. the Engine (16 points)

59. CanuckChuck (16 points)

60. TOM.NELS2120 (14 points)

61. asyax (14 points)

62. girl (13 points)

63. piwakawaka (12 points)

64. Franklin (12 points)

65. Jhortua (12 points)

66. jeyrod (12 points)

67. Benzo (12 points)

68. kyle (11 points)

69. margc (11 points)

70. Dan_R (11 points)

71. The Grande Fondue (11 points)

72. graham d.m. (11 points)

73. The Goat (10 points)

74. sthilzy (9 points)

75. Dr C (9 points)

76. HeinrichHausslersHairstyle (9 points)

77. Buck Rogers (9 points)

78. Tartan1749 (9 points)

79. Fausto (9 points)

80. LA Dave (9 points)

81. Al__S (9 points)

82. roger (9 points)

83. Joe (9 points)

84. DerHoggz (9 points)

85. snoov (9 points)

86. Two Ball Billy (9 points)

87. Blah (9 points)

88. TomC (9 points)

89. torrefie (9 points)

90. Yannersan (9 points)

91. anotherdownunder (9 points)

92. VirenqueForever (9 points)

93. chrismurphy92 (9 points)

94. Erik (9 points)

95. Chris (9 points)

96. brad_the_dean (9 points)

97. la plaque (9 points)

98. freddy (9 points)

99. sgraha (9 points)

100. pink (9 points)

101. Adrian (9 points)

102. zalamanda (9 points)

103. bderw (9 points)

104. Roberto Marques (9 points)

105. quanyeomans (9 points)

106. tony macaroni (9 points)

107. R00tdown (9 points)

108. El Mateo (9 points)

109. minion (9 points)

110. ten B (9 points)

111. Geordi (9 points)

112. eightzero (7 points)

113. VeloVita (7 points)

114. motor city (6 points)

115. Bat Chainpuller (6 points)

116. SimonH (6 points)

117. PeakInTwoYears (6 points)

118. Steampunk (6 points)

119. Lukas (6 points)

120. wiscot (6 points)

121. brian (6 points)

122. Cyclops (6 points)

123. Gino (6 points)

124. Harminator (6 points)

125. 936adl (6 points)

126. imakecircles (6 points)

127. blue (6 points)

128. Facetious_Jesus (6 points)

129. Benny (6 points)

130. Vernwitha_V (6 points)

131. simonsaunders (6 points)

132. ChrisO (6 points)

133. Velodeluded (6 points)

134. m_demartino (6 points)

135. eenies (6 points)

136. paolo (6 points)

137. NoTubes (6 points)

138. el gato (6 points)

139. Jay (6 points)

140. xyxax (6 points)

141. Islandbike (6 points)

142. starclimber (6 points)

143. PT (6 points)

144. zeitzmar (4 points)

145. JohnB (4 points)

146. RManneck (4 points)

147. TBONE (3 points)

148. unversio (1 points)

149. oneninefiveninesix (0 points)

150. brett (0 points)
Mirko says:

May 14 2013 at 8:27 am

@PeakInTwoYears

He was Hungry Like the Wolf.

Meeting Beaker with a view to a kill
Face to faces, secret places, feel the chill
Deakus says:

May 14 2013 at 9:11 am

@PeakInTwoYears

He was Hungry Like the Wolf.

Awesome....for those youngsters out there....
LA Dave says:

May 14 2013 at 9:59 am

Todays stage knocked Wiggo, Ryder, my VSP and this fan all out of contention:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDQhrM1i1b8
razmaspaz says:

May 14 2013 at 10:00 am

@Deakus

@PeakInTwoYears

He was Hungry Like the Wolf.

Awesome....for those youngsters out there....

As one of those youngsters I'm quite familiar with the song, but not the video. Are you sure this isn't the broadway adaptation of Apocalypse Now?
PeakInTwoYears says:

May 14 2013 at 10:07 am

@Mirko

@PeakInTwoYears

He was Hungry Like the Wolf.

Meeting Beaker with a view to a kill
Face to faces, secret places, feel the chill

Ha! A better choice by far. Chapeau.
Deakus says:

May 14 2013 at 10:57 am

@razmaspaz

@Deakus

@PeakInTwoYears

He was Hungry Like the Wolf.

Awesome....for those youngsters out there....

As one of those youngsters I'm quite familiar with the song, but not the video. Are you sure this isn't the broadway adaptation of Apocalypse Now?

Back in the day, I remember they were renowned for some of the best pop videos around....obviously MTV was in its infancy back then and the world was a better place.....glad you enjoyed....I recommend the "Girls on Film" vid or "Wild Boys"...fuck "Rio"....boring shit on a boat!