Velominati Super Prestige: Luik-Bastenaken-Luik 2013
There is something to love about a race that makes a deviation to its route for the simple joy of sending a fleet of professional riders up a fiendishly steep and narrow ramp. The Cote du Stockeu offers zero benefit to the route from a logistical standpoint – in fact, all it does is complicate things. On the way down from the Cote de Wanne – usually at breakneck speed – the race enters the small down of Stavelot. Just before hitting the town proper, you make a right turn and ascend a wall that does little more than become steeper as it twists it way up for 2.4km. Riding the route with Museeuw during Keepers Tour, he quietly tried to dissuade us of riding it, “You don’t need to do this for me; I’ve never enjoyed this one.”
At the top lies the monument to Merckx and his 525 victories. Upon reaching it, the route takes a sharp left turn and descends right back down to exactly the same spot from which it climbed up. This is why I love this climb so much; its just free pain for the racers – a steep climb just for the sake of making their legs hurt a bit more. Shortly thereafter, the route rolls down a few valleys and arrives at the Cote de la Redoute (The Fearsome), which signals the beginning of the finale. Its too far from the finish to make a winning move, but if you’ve got bad legs, you’ll be left behind to suffer all the way to Ans.
Amstel has been sorted, as has La Fléche. Both were won by an outsider. I don’t think the big names will let that happen again. Surely Gilbert and the Sag Wagon will have their act together this time around.
Check the start list and enter your picks in by the time the countdown clock goes to zero at midnight on Sunday morning Pacific Time. The winner of this monument will post for the next year with the LBL Winners Badge. Good luck.
[vsp_results id=”23150″/]
I’ll probably regret this swap, as I usually do.
VSP PICKS:
1. Valverde
2. Nibali
3. Gilbert
4. Rodriguez
5. Vanendert
VSP PICKS:
1. valverde
2. nibali
3. henao
4. kwiatkowski
5. gilbert
VSP PICKS:
1. Fast Phil
2. Dan Martin
3. Henao
4. Nibbles
5. Valverde
I can’t believe the first grand tour is just around the corner. I put Porte in there, he’s been riding well and he’s about to be busy looking out for others.
VSP PICKS:
1. J Rod
2. D. Martin
3. M. Iglinskiy
4. R. Porte
5. P. Gilbert
Can’t do any worse than I did for La Flèche…
VSP PICKS:
1. Valverde
2. Rodriguez
3. Gilbert
4. Mollema
5. Martin
VSP PICKS:
1. J Rod
2. NIbbles
3. Red Ryder
4. Dirty Sanchez
5. Giblets
Hmmm
Crocodile has been craftily inserted in the littlest Steampunk’s bed…
Off-topic, but the Little 500 from Indiana University is on this afternoon at 2:00 EST on AXS.tv if you have exotic and extraneous channels. It’s the event made famous by the classic movie Breaking Away — this year’s running is the 63rd annual race,
As for format, it’s best describes as a 50 mile four-man Madison between 33 teams on a 1/4 mile cinder flat track, ridden on singlespeed purpose-built Schwinns with coaster brakes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_tE89cVFMU
VSP PICKS:
1. Froome
2. Rodriguez
3. Valverde
4. Nibali
5. Cunego
@duck lewis GO CUTTERS!!!!!
VSP PICKS:
1. Valverde
2. Rodriguez
3. Gilbert
4. Mollema
5. Leukemans
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. D. Martin
3. Valverde
4. Iglinsky
5. Gerrans
I can feel it.
No room for Gilbert- bit of a risk! Not that he can’t, its just poor support from BMC team i think
VSP PICKS:
1. J-rod
2. Henao
3. Valverde
4. Nibali
5. Dan Martin
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Valverde
3. Nibali
4. Kwiatkowski
5. Rodriguez
VSP PICKS:
1. Nibali
2. Roland
3. Froome
4. Iglinsky
5. Martin
VSP PICKS:
1. Moreno Moser
2. Vincenzo Nibali
3. Alejandro Valverde
4. Damiano Cunego
5. Daniel Martin
Tough one…
VSP PICKS:
1. Dan Martin
2. Vince Nibbles
3. Henao
4. Mollema Russels Wart
5. J-Rod
Good luck suckers!
VSP PICKS:
1. Valverde
2. Froome
3. JRod
4. Danny Martin
5. Moser
VSP PICKS:
1. Purito
2. Nibali
3. Valverde
4. Gilbert
5. Sagan
VSP PICKS:
1. Nibali
2. Martin
3. Gilbert
4. Moser
5. Valverde
VSP PICKS:
1. Moser
2. Rolland
3. Gilbert
4. kwiatkowski
5. van avermaet
VSP PICKS:
1. Valverde
2. PhilGil
3. Purito
4. Nibali
5. D. Martin
Dice tossed.
VSP PICKS:
1. Porte
2. Froome
3. Nibali
4. Valverde
5. Kreuziger
VSP PICKS:
1. valverde
2. nibali
3. dan martin
4. gilbert
5. j rodriguez
Even though the astana winter doping program has been spot on for Nibali so far he can’t recover in time for this beast.
VSP PICKS:
1. Froome
2. Quintana
3. J rod
4. Dirty Verde
5. Dan Martin
Tinkering… having trouble believing that Valverde can pull it off. I’ll keep him at the 5… for now.
VSP PICKS:
1. Philbert
2. Oh Danny Boy
3. JRod
4. Nibbles
5. Alperacion Valpuerto
VSP PICKS:
1. moser
2. gilbert
3. valverde
4. rodriguez
5. martin
VSP PICKS:
1. gilbert
2. martin
3. valverde
4. nibali
5. henao
Just to boost everyone’s confidence, Rodriguez was quoted in Cyclingnews today: “…this is Liege-Bastogne-Liege, it’s a very hard race and anything can happen. There are a lot of people out there who like to make predictions about bike races, but most of the time they’re wrong.”
Is it sad when you wake up in a blind panic because you thought you Delgado’d Liege? Happened to me last night. Come on, lads! Earn me some points!
VSP PICKS:
1. Philippe Gilbert
2. Sergio Henao Montoya
3. Alejandro Valverde
4. Michal Kwiatkowski
5. Simon Gerrans
Sky = Gewiss
VSP PICKS:
1. Froome Her to Eternity
2. Crowded House
3. Porte of Morrow
4. Hungry like the Wolf
5. Suitsyou Sir
VSP PICKS:
1. gilbert
2. froome
3. nibali
4. rodriguez
5. martin
Certain to hand over the Belgian badge tomorrow. Good luck boys and girls.
VSP PICKS:
1. Valverde
2. Gerrans
3. Martin
4. Gilbert
5. Henao
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Martin
3. Gerrans
4. Valverde
5. Kwiatowski
VSP PICKS:
1. Valverde
2. Gerrans
3. Nibali
4. Kwiatkowski
5. Mollema
VSP PICKS:
1. Vicenzo Nibali
2. Alejandro Valverde
3. Sergio Henano Montoya
4. Philippe Gilbert
5. Simon Gerrans
VSP PICKS:
1. Nibali
2. Valverde
3. Gilbert
4. Rodriguez
5. Martin
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Nibali
3. Valverde
4. Sanchez
5. Moreno
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Valverde
3. Nibali
4. J Rod
5. Henao
@brett
That’s some next level naming there. I got Henao and Uran Uran… but you stumped me on the last one.
@LA Dave
Ha. Was overthinking it. Totally forgot he was on Sky now.
VSP PICKS:
1. Valverde Belmonte
2. RainbowPhil
3. Nibbles
4. J-RodO
5. D(e)an Martin
VSP PICKS:
1. Dan Martin
2. Gilbert
3. Henao
4. Mollema Russels Wart
5. J-Rod
VSP PICKS:
1. Valverde
2. Rodriguez
3. Gilbert
4. NIbali
5. Froome
VSP PICKS:
1. Valverde
2. Rodriguez
3. Nibali
4. Gerrans
5. Van Avermaet
Phil Gil has to man up and win this. No cortisone, just caffeine and the rainbow hoops to get him to the finish. That climbing freak Froome makes it onto the podium. Nibbles it too shagged. Valverde not doped.
VSP PICKS:
1. gilbert
2. red ryder hesjedal
3. Froome
4. martin dan
5. j rod
Last one.
VSP PICKS:
1. Philbert
2. Oh Danny Boy
3. JRod
4. Nibbles
5. Henao