Velominati Super Prestige: La Fleche Wallone

The steep climb of the Muur de Huy

The inaugural Velominati Super Prestige continues with La Fleche Wallone on Wednesday, April 21.   This will be the third race in the season-long series and presents another opportunity to jump up the rankings and unseat current series leader and rainbow cog wearer, Rob, who consolidated his lead Sunday at Amstel Gold.  The competition remains very close and leadership can belong to anyone who makes a good race prediction Wednesday.

La Fleche is sure to be as unpredictable as Amstel, as the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull continues to wreak havoc on the start list, with riders who can not pronounce the volcano’s name being rendered unable to travel to the races.  Add to that the ferocity of the finishing climb – the Muur de Huy with it’s 26% ramps – and we have an other unpredictable race on our hands.  Is this a year for a solo breakaway to finally succeed, or will itagain feature a large group who contests the finale in a brutish uphill sprint?

This edition’s winner will again earn an “Obey the Rules” bumper sticker  and all reader’s points qualify towards the final prize of the free Velominati Shop Apron.  If you are inclined to enter, simply post your predictions for the top five placings in the comment section.  Good luck.

Rules and results are posted Velominati Super Prestige page.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

View Comments

  • @all:
    Clarifying question: Is Cadel Evans doing the "Thumbs Up" salute? If so, that's maybe even lamer than Cuntador's pistol.

  • I think he's saying; "Look at the huge dip of Skoal I have in my mouth. If you use Skoal, you too can attack on the Muur de Huy and win a monument. It's the new CERA."

  • Could be a Cavendish style phone tribute or perhaps just directing attention to his magnificent camel's hoof of a chin...jury's out for me.

  • Joe :Could be a Cavendish style phone tribute or perhaps just directing attention to his magnificent camel's hoof of a chin...jury's out for me.

    It's worse than that. He's thinking "Shit, how does that cool pistol sign go?" Just after this shot, he gives some random hand-wave, entirely consistent with the accompanying thought "Oh, that's right, forgot the index finger. Fuck. Have gotta get this right before the Giro."

    OK, a more charitable view is that he's thinking "Look, Bertie, I don't need an index finger to win in style. Stick that up your Spanish arse." But even that is pretty sad. Even if he meant it metaphorically.

  • @Marko, @Joe
    You guys are geniuses. Skoal in his camels hoof of a chin!!!

    ...assimilating phrase "camels hoof of a *blank*" into vocabulary now...

  • @Geof
    It definitely does seem like he is really uncomfortable when he wins. It's like, "Really? Did no one pass me?" The little wave at the worlds was uberlame, too. Yikes. Dood needs to work on his Coolness Quotient.

  • I'm sorry, the guy is becoming a classic and thats with the camel hoof thing too. But shite do they have to dress him up in all those championship stripes? I mean gloves, helmet, even the socks - wtf, he didn't win the best dressed butch guy in the gay pride parade.
    Damn, come to think of it he does look good - wait I didn't say that.

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