Velominati Super Prestige: Giro d’Italia 2014
For the simple reason that the Cobbled and Ardennes Classics are behind us, I have not alternative but to get back on my soap box about the Giro being the best of the three Grand Tours. Well, usually, at least. Last year’s race sucked the big one (even if it was supremely Rule #9), but for the most part it is the race that is the most closely contested of the three. There are mountains everywhere Italy meaning there are less bunch sprints, the weather is completely unreliable, and the slightly lower calibre of rider seems hungrier. Or maybe the reduced pressure means riders aren’t quite as stressed out and are able to funnel that extra energy into the race.
My favorite Giro is a hard one to pick out, but its either the 1988 Giro when Andy Hampsten took the win after freezing himself stiff with Erik Breukink on the Gavia or when Pantani took his in 1998. I’ve been watching the ’98 Giro during my morning turbo sessions and Merckx-oh-me, that was an All-Drugs Olympics nail-biter. ’98 is also an interesting contrast to ’88; in just a decade, the technology had changed so much but more than that, the doping atmosphere in the sport transformed completely. From Hampsten’s Giro, EPO went from just being dabbled with on the fringes to being abused by leaders and domestiques alike by the time Pantani won. Hampsten wrote a nice piece about racing against dopers in Tyler Hamilton’s book, The Secret Race. He described the various side-effects that the popular drugs of his era had, such as bloating and a tendency to make the user over-estimate their abilities. Amphetamine made the riders do stupid things, cortisone made them retain water, and steroids made them heavy; a clean rider could use those factors to their advantage. A far cry from the rocket fuel that allowed humble domestiques to big ring up major alpine passes.
Why am I talking about drugs? There’s a race starting in a few days, people! This is our first Grand Tour, and the picks are worth more points, not to mention that strategy starts to play into things with the chance to swap your picks out on either of the rest days – at a certain point penalty. Remember that points are not accumulated; the standings on the last day of the race are what kinds, so keep the long game in mind.
Any points you win count towards the overall prizes plus the winner of this event also gets to post for the rest of the year in the pink jersey badge. So check the start list, review the VSP Grand Tour Scoring Guidelines and get your picks in by the time the countdown clock goes to zero at midnight PDT on Friday, May 9th. 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. There has also been a recent scourge of people putting a rider in more than one place. Two words: Piti Principle, people! Don’t make me do a bunch of extra programming to keep you from being allowed to submit such an obviously unsportsmanlike set of picks. We will mercilessly clear out all your entries should we find you have attempted this.
Also don’t forget we’ve got three major prizes for the season-long VSP:
- First place overall wins a Veloforma Strada iR Velominati Edition frame in addition to the customary VSP winner’s VVorkshop Apron
- 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.)
- Third place overall wins a full Velominati V-Kit with accompanying custom orange Bont Vaypor+ road shoes.
Good luck, have fun with it, and don’t lose your Rule #43 spirit.
[vsp_results id=”29781″/]
Ryder for the stage win, Quint for the maglia rosa methinks . . .
@wiscot
Dowload Adblocker Plus and get rid of those popups.
@VeloVita
Ryder’s taking a pull on the flat bit, essentially offering some shelter, maybe in exchange for the stage? Didn’t look like an attack to me, as they had a quick chat and both nodded as he went past.
Quintana and Hesjdal are going so quickly uphill I can’t tell if they’re attacking each other or trading pulls!
@andrew Scratch that, Ryder really looks dropped as they go under the flamme rouge.
@andrew
May very well be the case – I’m watching a dodgy internet feed with no sound. Looks like Quintana is going clear now though.
No country for old men. Italy, that is. I will miss Cadel Evans.
What a win! Nicely taken!
@VeloVita
Quintana is amazing. I bet Movistar will regret their choice to back Valverde for le Tour.
Awesome for Nairo.
I hope there’s not too much drama about the neutralization confusion. Apparently the OPQS DS understood from race radio the Stelvio descent wasn’t to be raced, the Lotto DS didn’t, people saw motos with red flags but no-one’s sure how they were being used. It won’t be good if Rigo went over the top of Stelvio thinking he was going to be able relax for a bit and looking for red or black flags.
It’ official, Quintana in yellow.
Awesome ride by Quint, but IMHO it was ever more incredible that big Ryder hung in there so long. Just lost it in the last k or so.
@Mirko
or pink…
Brutal stage! A Rule #9 reference video for anyone needing definition. Guess I will now say goodbye to Cadel’s chance, and mine in this VSP Giro competition.
If Ryder had not been involved in the ist stage Garmin mayhem, he’d be top three, likely #2 right now. Hoping he does his usual strong third week. Not sure I see him winning overall, but a podium is possible I think.
It appears training in Maui and climbing Haleakala from time to time definitely pays off! huge ride by the big Canadian. Glad we installed that 90″ TV in the boardroom…
@VeloVita
Hahaha, I’m sorry. Yellow’s for 2015 though, they don’t call him the Columbian badger for nothing…
@wiscot
So right wiscot, and the Val Martello is not exactly made for big guys, especially the last two km. Awesome effort. Bloody TTT….
Holy schmoly. Looks like I picked a real doozy to have meetings scheduled and not be able to watch! @Steampunk moves into the lead with a V-way tie for second!
A Frenchman up to 4th in a Grand Tour. Two speed peloton no more!
@The Grande Fondue
Yeah, and unless Cadel get’s his mojo back, Rolland is looking possible for the podium. Anyone know how is is in TT mode?
I doubt the peloton is 100% clean (riders are human, after all), but by today’s evidence, these guys were on the rivet the whole way on that last climb. It was like the old days – slogging their way up the mountains, not spinning up them.
I was hoping for a few more attacks from Uran’s group, but like I just said, I think these guys are clean and were on fumes and empty tanks.
Can’t understand 99% of this, but the commentators do seem to be in the spirit of the occassion.
http://www.steephill.tv/players/youtube3/?title=Last+Km+of+Stage+16&dashboard=giro-d-italia&id=CMftz-RmP-o&yr=2014
Major Chapeau to the RAI camera folks. I watched the whole race on BeIn Sport. Despite the bad weather conditions, the coverage was uninterrupted and the pictures were fabulous. I think I would have preferred to be riding a bike at 25kmh than sitting on a moto at that speed. At least the riders could generate body heat. Much appreciated.
@fignons barber
Hear, hear!100% agree. Today was not a fun day to be sitting on a motorbike and then to have to deal with crazy tifosi running in front of you . . . sheesh!
Entire stage 16 coverage 4:12:40
Quintana is my fucking hero, fucking awesome! Ryder looks like he is in form again, stoked for both of them.
You know it’s a tough stage when the first grupetto finishes 39 minutes down and the second grupetto is 44 minutes behind Quintana who won in 4hrs 42 minutes.
Call it! Call it right now! Cancel the rest go the Giro. I’m happy with this. Four out of five all in the right place, just the way I expected it would play out (I had Rodriguez fourth). Let’s just call it now.
lots of Rule#9 and Rule #5 out there today, wondering if all of the peloton is feeling like this or not:
http://velonews.competitor.com/2014/05/news/giros-stage-16-grim-cold-perhaps-unnecessary-procession_329798
@Steampunk
Chapeau professor on the extraterrestrial effort. Please report first to the anti-doping control.
@ChrisO
I can verify that. Something about flags on motos? Maybe if the DSs had heard it too, we wouldn’t have the current controversy.
Seeing as how it was Cima Coppi day today: I did a little digging and came up with a good translation of Dino Buzzati’s article of Coppi’s famous 200k solo breakaway in 1949.
“And yet in that instant on this stretch of road came to pass what the Ancients used to call “Destiny.” ”
http://49giro.blogspot.de/2009/06/part-23-bartali-and-coppi-finally-do.html
That was disgraceful. I’ve never seen so many Rule #82 violations. And one fucker wearing knee-high socks! (Ok, leg warmers rolled down, but still…) Style died today in Italy.
Stunning ride by Quintana on a brutal stage. Chapeau. I don’t know how he pulled 2mins on the Uran group when they were together over the top of the Stelvio, but he still found another 2mins on the final climb.
Hesjedal could be heading for the podium, there are half a dozen riders ahead of him by less than a minute, and he kicked all their arses today.
@Steampunk
Truly appreciate the 5 days of racing that remain… 5 days… 5 days… 5 days…
@Steampunk Yeah I wouldn’t mind either, forgot to swap out the Spaniard yesterday. I did’t see Nairo taking pink today I thought he would win the stage but holly shit
@brett
I saw that legwarmer thing too and thought “surely not . . .” Wouldn’t rolling them down run the risk of the one on the right leg getting caught on the front chainwheel?
@Geraint
Quintana got that time because he and Big R were really drilling it. The Uran group just didn’t have the same fire to them I thought.
@wiscot
I could go along with steampunk on calling the VSP right now. I see storms ahead, let’s protect the VSP podium…
Great stage today! Love seeing Ryder do so well after his off-ride last year. Also, did anyone else see the happy as Columbian fan get a photo op out of Quintana, right as Nairo pulled off his poofy jacket to head to the podium? How pumped was that guy! Draped in the national flag and getting a photo with his hero. Talk about worth the wait on the mtn. top.
For bike month we’re having a Giro viewing party tomorrow at a local restaurant. Good lord, I never want to go near another bit torrent again in my life. But, it should be fun to watch today’s stage tomorrow with non-PRO peloton folks. We’re having a local PRO cycling journalist I know call the stage, explain what is going on, etc. A way to get new folks to appreciate the sport. And have some post-ride recovery ales!
Seeing these guys interviewed after the Stages also makes you realize how fucking hard they just worked. Even guys in their mid-20s look old, worn out and beaten up, drawn faces, bags under their eyes. Damn, talk about four seasons in one stage today!
@wiscot
Thanks for pointing that out. Knew the gaps were going to be immense, but that is crazy. Quintana probably had dinner, a massage, and was in bed when some lads were still crossing the line. Crazy!
@Steampunk
That was some great racing under Rule #9 conditions and I do not think the dueling is over yet. Since I am wedded to the old roo in #1 I have to hope that he has some 37 year old endurance that will give these young pure climbers, at least, a scare of being overtaken….
@brett had the same thoughts , not just on #82 and while I’m tempted to give Nairo a pass for tights cause he may be harking back to some nightmare Columbians experience at 4,000 + meters. The rest of the infractions are just ugly. Then there is another potential pass for facial hair due to pure Canadian Mounty type guts and because “The Lumberjack” thing works so well with that monster effort.
Trouble is I am so old school and almost dead and your now “old”, that the kids these days are forging their own style and it does not hinge on what Eddy wore. If I started handing out detention slips for dress down here in Miami the whole school would dismissed.
@Nate
Can’t see me. I’m in Mexico. Eating chicken.
@Steampunk
Keep the black kit on and stay away from the carne asada.
@Steampunk
‘Tis better than the steak in China I hear..
Flip me that was some epic viewing! The climbs are bad enough, add in all the other shit and it is just superhuman!
@Steampunk
and I suppose you’d like us to just close the year long contest as well so you get a pretty new frame? I tried that trick last week, no such luck…
Some pics of stage 16.
http://www.teamsky.com/gallery/0,27401,30635_9328286,00.html
RIGOBERTO URÃN goes far to give back [story]
Banner image © Beardy McBeard
@Mikael Liddy
Ah, but I have gravitas. And Frank knows I’ll start posting pics of my moustache if he doesn’t comply…
14 stage, Agliè -Oropa. Photo by me.