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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I've got to hand it to Horner. In the category of "if it looks unbelievable, it probably is unbelieveable", he's way up there. For me it was probably one of the most suspect stages I've seen since a bandaged Vino hobbled on to his bike and blitzed the Albi TT at the '07 TdF. Just my opinion.
@Mike_P
Yeah, no shit. Dude was suppsoedly one of the only ones to make it through the last generation without ever being suspect but God Damn! Really??? Beating J-Rod, Nibbles and Malmerde, a decade or more younger than him, on these stages.
Oh well, makes for good racing!
By the way, you're all nancies if you rest day swap!
You know, just calling people out for making the logical decision to play by the rules as opposed to adhereing to some completely irrational notion that is majorly lacks V to change your picks at any point.
No changing picks here, BABY! I'm going down with my ship loaded with Slammin Sammy and Henao!!!
@Buck Rogers Morning Buck. The caffeine's kicked in then.
@Buck Rogers
Sadly I have to agree. There was some informed guesswork that pointed to him being one of the unnamed riders in the USADA report.
@Mike_P
Fuck Yeah! First Espresso since Friday as I was at the family camp over the weekend without an espresso machine. Jesus, remind me to pack that sucker next time I go there!
@Buck Rogers
Sing it loud, brother. Rest Day Swaps are one of the Three Temptations of Merckx.
The devil said unto him "Make the swaps and the shop apron shall be thine"
The devil said unto him "Wear the yellow cock and you shall descend without fear"
The devil took him to the top step of the podium in the City of Light and said unto him "Take the pot belge and all that you see before you shall come to be yours"
@Chris bollocks. proof read. twat.
@Buck Rogers I deserve to be called a nancy for being daft enough to pick a guy named Winner. Swaps made, no chance of an apron anyway but I'm still daft enough to believe that Henao can still make a comeback.
VSP PICKS (1st Rest Day Swaps):
1. J Rod
2. Sergio Henao
3. Ivan Basso
4. Alejandro Valverde
5. Domenico Pozzovivo
VSP PICKS (1st Rest Day Swaps):
1. Rodriguez
2. Valverde
3. Horner
4. Uran
5. Nibali