Velominati Super Prestige

Velominati Super Prestige: La Vuelta a España 2013

The Long Sock Brigade hits the Angliru.
The Long Sock Brigade hits the Angliru

Seriously. Is it almost September? This was not the agreement, this was supposed to be an endless summer. And all you A-Holes down there in the Antipodes are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, enjoying longer days and shorter nights. I don’t need to tell you where you can take that, but it’s dark and it smells. I have no patience for the changing of seasons when it means I’m going to be benching Number One and busting out the headlight.

I’m not going to lie to you; the Vuelta is my least-favorite race of the year. Part of it is the parcours-it’s hard enough to get excited about flat sprint stages in the Tour, but these stages in central Spain that go down a straight freeway for hours are just too much for my brain to find interesting. Hey look! There’s another shrub! Wasn’t he a President at one point? There will be some redeeming points of the race, I’m sure, and the shit-steep climbs they dot along the route are certain to be highlights of the season. But after you do the math, this is the grand tour with the weakest field, the worst route, and-most damning-the strongest signal that Summer is coming to an end on the half of the world that matters.

I can’t be bothered to sort out the route and what stages are going to matter, but I’ll tell you this: for the last few years, the winner of the Vuelta VSP has won the VSP GC. A few years back, @Marcus complained that he only lost the VSP because @Nate used the second Rest Day Swaps to his advantage to take the win, but after heavily increasing the penalties, he kept losing. Typical of a man who posts photos of his todger on a Cycling site. (@Nate, your win was clean according to the VCI.) Speaking of which, at worst the Vuelta will distract from Pat McQuaid and his bid for losing the UCI Presidency.

He has a strong lead in the 2013 Anti-V competition, however.

Check the start list, get your picks in, and don’t Delgado this baby; it could be your ticket to the shop apron. Bon chance.

[vsp_results id=”26944″/]

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484 Replies to “Velominati Super Prestige: La Vuelta a España 2013”

  1. My picks have been rubbish all year, so why should this be any different…

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Purito
    2. Nibbles
    3. Valverde
    4. Uran
    5. Pozzovivo

  2. Unless Purito is completely wasted after the Tour, I think that he can pull off the Vuelta win this year.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. J Rodriguez
    2. Valverde
    3. Kreuziger
    4. Uran
    5. Betancur

  3. VSP PICKS:

    1. Joaquim Rodriguez
    2. Sergio Henao
    3. Alejandro Valverde
    4. Carlos Betancur
    5. Roman Kreuziger

  4. I don’t think anyone that did the Le Tour will win the Vuelta, that just doesn’t seem to be the way things are going lately. With 11 summit finishes, this race should be great. The last few years have been something. Plus, the Spanish landscape reminds me most of the desert I call home.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Uran
    2. Nibbles
    3. Valverde
    4. Betancur
    5. J Rod

  5. Valverde owes me for fucking up my TDF VSP by puncturing on that windy day that OPQS then Saxo smashed the peloton about.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Henao
    2. Valverde
    3. J Rod
    4. Nibbles
    5. Betta not make me curse

  7. VSP PICKS:

    1. Henao, S
    2. Rodriguez, J
    3. Sanchez, S
    4. Valverde, A
    5. Horner, C

  8. VSP PICKS:

    1. J. Rodriguez
    2. S. Sanchez
    3. Henao
    4. Nibali
    5. Horner

  9. Picks are based on nothing logical. Hoping for a combination of Spanish national pride and beginners luck to deliver the top 3 for me.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Valverde
    2. Sanchez
    3. J Rod
    4. Nibali
    5. Henao

  10. Won’t they be blowing past a bunch of half-built abandoned housing complexes? Damn, I recently read an article on the economic crisis in Spain. Fucking depressing, where did it all go so wrong? Typically I try to shut the world out, but hey, when the Crash Monkeys of Eus-Eus are axed because politicians and free-wheelin’ (that’s right, fuckers born with silver spoons and not taking their turn with a nose in the wind) capitalists fuck up the national economy, now that is when I sit up, take notice, and get pissed off. I’m gonna miss the orange brigade and their orange & green flags.

    Yep, count me in the Cannot Believe it is late August camp. I blame you, 100th TdF. And you, always fun Giro. And you too, Classics season. Where did it all go?

  11. Im not liking the idea of a peleton without the orange of Eus-Eus. Its a sad day indeed when they race their last race. I hope they go really big on this one.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Igor Anton
    2. Nibali
    3. Valverde
    4. JRod
    5. Basso

  12. @frank I share your lack of excitement but yet again this year I am going to try to follow this race as closely as I do the other 2 Grand Tours. The VSP will help greatly in this regard. I strive to rise above mid table anonymity.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Alejandro Valverde
    2. Vincenzo Nibali
    3. Joaquim Rodriguez
    4. Sergio Henao
    5. Carlos Betancur

  13. I’ve consulted the Urim and Thummim, the local gypsy, and a witching rod. Here goes:

    VSP PICKS:

    1. J-rod
    2. Horner
    3. d-Uran d-Uran
    4. Valverde
    5. Samy Sandwich

  16. LURKMODE DISENGAGED

    @frank Oh I don’t know if the Vuelta scenery is so dull. There are all manner of exotically branded petrol stations and even the occasional semi-derelict industrial estate lurking in the distance for those interested in the local culture.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Purito
    2. Valverde
    3. Nibbles
    4. Pinochet
    5. Hay. Now.

  17. Top 3 got things to prove..and rock and roll Chris H says he’s here to win…fuck…I just dropped my crystal ball and it exploded! Hope my picks don’t do the same….

    VSP PICKS:

    1. J-Rod
    2. Balverdebelamonte
    3. You Ran
    4. CHorn
    5. Nibbles

  20. VSP PICKS:

    1. Nibali
    2. Henao
    3. Rodriguez
    4. Betancur
    5. Kreuziger

  21. I think Valverde will be furious after Le Tour, not only because of his own bike problem, but because his failure led to Quintana’s rise. He has to gain back control of his team, and only a win will do that.

    I also think NIbali’s focus is on the Worlds, and this is nothing but training regardless of what his press releases say. In fact, I’m not expecting him to finish. Rodriguez and Uran will also drop out when they realise that they can’t win. I bet Uran will get a big bonus if he takes the rainbow jersey to OPQS.

    How’s that for a plan…?

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Valverde
    2. Sammy Sanchez
    3. Henao
    4. Majka
    5. Betancur

  26. Anybody’s guess, as has been said, Nibbles will be saving himself, already got them Giro. Only second guessing myself for not putting Betancur in, how about a top 10?…

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Alejandro Valverde
    2. Purito Rodriguez
    3. Sergio Henao
    4. Mikel Nieve
    5. Bauke Mollema

  30. Coz J-Rod deserves either a Grand Tour or a rainbow jersey.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. J-Rod
    2. Valverde
    3. Kreuziger
    4. Nibbles
    5. Henao

  32. VSP PICKS:

    1. Nibali
    2. Rodriguez
    3. Betancur
    4. Henao
    5. Dan Martin

  33. Christ on a bike, here’s praying

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Valverde
    2. Uran
    3. Henao
    4. Krueziger
    5. Nibali

  34. VSP PICKS:

    1. Nibali
    2. Rodriguez
    3. Valverde
    4. Henao
    5. Betancur

  36. No outstanding favourite, really tough parcours, hard to pick.

    Nearly included Dan Martin, Carlos Betancur, Roman Kreuziger and Pozzovivo instead.

    Visualise the apron- it will be mine!

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Rodriguez- J
    2. Valverde- A
    3. Henao- S
    4. Nibali- V
    5. Farrar- T

  37. Well, I’ve thrown the magic empty gel packets on the floor amidst the tea leaves and coffee grounds to divine inspiration and came up with this. I’ve more luck winning the Powerball than this VSP. Oh well . . .

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Rodriguez
    2. Valverde
    3. Martin
    4. Uran
    5. Nibali

  38. @simonsaunders

    No outstanding favourite, really tough parcours, hard to pick.

    Nearly included Dan Martin, Carlos Betancur, Roman Kreuziger and Pozzovivo instead.

    Visualise the apron- it will be mine!

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Rodriguez- J
    2. Valverde- A
    3. Henao- S
    4. Nibali- V
    5. Farrar- T

    Not one to pish on another man’s picks but if you really want that apron I’d suggest swapping out Mister Farrar. The only way he”ll finish top 5 is if he rides in the team car until the last kilometer.

  39. @wiscot

    @simonsaunders

    No outstanding favourite, really tough parcours, hard to pick.

    Nearly included Dan Martin, Carlos Betancur, Roman Kreuziger and Pozzovivo instead.

    Visualise the apron- it will be mine!

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Rodriguez- J
    2. Valverde- A
    3. Henao- S
    4. Nibali- V
    5. Farrar- T

    Not one to pish on another man’s picks but if you really want that apron I’d suggest swapping out Mister Farrar. The only way he”ll finish top 5 is if he rides in the team car until the last kilometer.

    I agree with both of your statements.  Hell, I almost put in all that you mentioned plus thought about Basso and Mollema.

    But yeah, I’m no expert but Farrar will not be top 100 but maybe you know that and are just throwing him in for some early points to look good on the early leaderboard (which does not translate into any overall VSP points in the long run).

  40. My top two picks are romanticism. I want to see Horner go out on a high note. I never want to see the Basque team surrender.

    Truth is, Nibali will win as preparation for the World’s. We’ll see.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Chris Horner
    2. Sammy Sanchez
    3. Joaquim Rodriguez
    4. Dan Martin
    5. Alejandro Valverde

  41. I’m blown away by all the Chris Horner picks. The guy’s older than Methuselah, and says he’s going to win everything every year. Is it just me, or are American racers perennially overly optimistic? I can never decide whether they genuinely think they’re going to win and don’t get the premise of peaking or whether it’s simply for the press and fans?

  44. I was going to point out that all the ‘Hey Now!’ ‘Crowded house’ related nicknames for Henao are in flagrant violation of Rule #89, but I can’t remember where I read the correct pronunciation except that it was in an interview with Quintana and he’d know. Perhaps someone else read the same article.

  45. Time bonuses on offer combined with the high number of summit finishes tip the scale in favor of J-Rod for me.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Purito
    2. Nibbles
    3. Valverde
    4. Henao
    5. Basso

  46. C’est impossible!

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Pozzovivo
    2. Don’t dream its over
    3. Vulvarde (very good Il cyclist)
    4. Betancur
    5. Count Basso

  47. Damn auto correct. That was supposed to be a credit to @Il ciclista medio for Vulvarde.

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