Categories: Velominati Super Prestige

Velominati Super Prestige: Le Tour de France, Stage 20

Reach for your recovery drink of choice, grab a little massage if you can, load up on carbs tonight, and get ready for the ultimate showdown for final Tour glory tomorrow to be contested in 41 kilometers contra la montre. I’m talking about the fans, not the riders, obviously. Because these last two days have nearly killed us.

This is anyone’s time trial. At 41km, it’s just long enough for Cadel to pull one out, and it’s just short and hilly enough for Andy to retain enough of his lead. Sure, Evans will certainly beat the Grimplette, but by how much? In last year’s final ITT, Andy almost pulled out the upset, until the wind kicked up and the youngster’s sit up and beg TT position had him more sail that sailor. It’s hilly enough to give the climbers a chance of staying in it, and the long descent to the finish will play to the fastmen against the clock.

Will his new Maillot Juane play Redbull to Andy and give him wings? Or will the scent of Yellow drag the Cadelamonster to his prize? Both Andy and Cadel know what it’s like to stand on the second step of the podium. Neither wants to stand there again. And both riders are different men than they were the last time it happened. Both have been hardened by the bitter taste of defeat that lingers long on the tongue.

I, for one, can hardly take it any more. Vive le Tour.

You know the drill, get your picks in by 5am Pacific tomorrow morning. Good luck.

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.

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View Comments

AD says:

Jul 22 2011 at 12:16 pm

Anyone catch Bertie smack some clown dressed in a surgeon's gown on one of the climb's?

VSP PICKS:

1. Spartacus
2. Eggtimer
3. Good Cadel
4. Clenbudator
5. Geraint Thomas
R00td0wn says:

Jul 22 2011 at 12:30 pm

VSP PICKS:

1. Cancellara
2. Martin
3. Contador
4. Cadel
5. Tjallingii
John says:

Jul 22 2011 at 12:31 pm

Cuddles for the overall win

Aussie, aussie, aussie!
tony macaroni says:

Jul 22 2011 at 12:40 pm

VSP PICKS:

1. spartacus
2. cuddles
3. schleck jr
4. tommy v
5. bassomatic
tony macaroni says:

Jul 22 2011 at 12:44 pm

VSP PICKS:

1. spartacus
2. cuddles
3. tony martin
4. schleck jr
5. tommy v
Alpin says:

Jul 22 2011 at 12:45 pm

As frank is fast as hell to initiate new posts, i'll bring here the links for the videos taken in the Alpe d'Huez today...

As you can imagine it was quite fantastic being at the bottom of Alpe d'Huez !!!, The summit was impossible to get : road closed, police guarding the sheer number ( and diversity) of humans of all shapes, colors and fashion sense.

Riding there at 35km/h average ( 52km/D+500m) and coming back at 45km/h average to Grenoble this evening... Rahhhah lovely ! as an ex-Messenger and my my friend being a velocipedic Postman, we love to create singletracks between caravans and trucks : adrenalin pumped to the max!!! i am now utterly shattered offically.

(Well, i' not the only one... 3kms from the finish in grenoble, my friend got a nasty encounter with my rear wheel (fuckin thuggish scooter biatch on a bike path involved ... he flyed 3 meters down in a ditch with his Cervelo ... result : shock state, left calves left bloody and lots of cuts... same as his beloved Rapha Jersey... it could have been much badder..., so... )))

first video : L'EchappÃ©e Pierre Rolland , Europcar in the EchappÃ©e with another racer

VIDEO 01

second video : Le Peloton ( seeing Jens Voigt passing totally baked at 30 cm from me was really incredible)

VIDEO 02

Third video : Le Groupe isolÃ©

VIDEO 03

fourth video : Le Gruppetto ( Cancellara in the front)

VIDEO 04

Tomorrow : Grenoble !

I 'll try to post a first serie of photographs at 12-13 PM ( French Hour)
In the Evening, i 'll post the photos of racers taken the afternoon "in the wild" on the climbs...
Alpin says:

Jul 22 2011 at 12:51 pm

well ,

all videos work .. but my comments aren't accurate ; Jens & the peloton are in the first video 30s after the Ã©chappÃ©s...

i am so tired i can't compute a thing ! sorry!

)
sgt says:

Jul 22 2011 at 12:58 pm

Cuddles in yellow for Sunday.

VSP PICKS:

1. Faboo
2. Martin
3. Cuddles
4. EBH
5. Cothodor
Rose City Rolleur says:

Jul 22 2011 at 1:37 pm

This is the first time I picked Contador for anything. I still hold a grudge against him even being in the race but there he is. This will be a small concelation prize for team RadioShack.

VSP PICKS:

1. Levi
2. Cancellara
3. Martin
4. Evans
5. Contador
TomC says:

Jul 22 2011 at 2:49 pm

VSP PICKS:

1. Spartacus
2. Cuddles
3. Tony Martin
4. Clenbutador
5. Grimplette