Velominati Super Prestige

Velominati Super Prestige: Milan-Sanremo 2013

Eddy Planckert photo:cor vos
Eddy Planckert and Marc Sergeant photo:cor vos

Finally, we have Milan-Sanremo. I hope pedale.forcetta is ready to shoot some pictures, especially black and white because it will be cold and possibly wet. Throw in a little wind and a race of this distance will weed out the less hardy. Recently, but not too recently, this race would be won out of a decent size field sprint. And yet, besides Fabs winning in 2008 it does come down to a sprint finish of some size. That race was setting up for a field sprint when Cancellara bolted and no one could catch him. The solo charge to the finish just doesn’t seem to work here. It is such an interesting race because the finish is unlike any of the other monuments. Moreno Argentin lost the race because he was not as good as descender as Kelly. Getting down the Cipressa and Poggio well is not easy. The descents are tight narrow Italian roads, hairpin turns, madness. Fabs and Sagan are two excellent descenders and Sagan has a killer sprint. NIbali just won Terreno. Thor has recovered. Boonen is back with Cavendish, on the same team! Gilbert is wearing the rainbow jersey. Andy Schleck has pre-dropped out. God Damnit, if you are going to get up at some weird hour of the night to watch a race this year, this is it people.

An American has never won one of cycling’s monuments and Sunday’s race does not seem to be where it is going to happen. Tyler Farrar would have to latch onto a special train and surely Cancellara will not be towing people to the line this year. The odds of Australian riders winning the last two editions were very long but it demonstrates how exciting and unpredictable this race is.

Here is the incomplete start list, it will be updated when available. No Delgados, no whining, the betting window is now open. Get you picks in before the countdown timer goes to zero at midnight Pacific Time. The winner of this event is awarded the MSR comment badge for the remainder of the season.

Here is a little video from last year, interesting more for the behind the scenes action and the amount of bleeped out cursing.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHAKie2XiU0[/youtube]

[vsp_results id=”22700″/]

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461 Replies to “Velominati Super Prestige: Milan-Sanremo 2013”

  1. @RedRanger

    There’s an idiot in a Rapha cycling cap running across the finish with the rest of the field coming up to sprint. The 2nd official is dressed like Richard Simmons.

  2. Delgado will miss the start but chase frantically along the Ligurian coast road, and catch the small lead group at the base of the Cipressa.  Amazing.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Sagan
    2. Cancellara
    3. Bossen-Hagen
    4. Pozzato
    5. Delgado

  3. A total revamp of my picks that will ensure none of this actually happens

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Spartacus
    2. Boss Hog
    3. Nibbles
    4. Boonen
    5. Sagan

  5. @unversio

    @RedRanger

    There’s an idiot in a Rapha cycling cap running across the finish with the rest of the field coming up to sprint. The 2nd official is dressed like Richard Simmons.

    The safety cone is — out of the way.

  6. I’ve thought about these drinks over several picks.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Sagan
    2. Faboo
    3. Gilbert
    4. Nibbles
    5. Santambrogio

  7. VSP PICKS:

    1. Peter Sagan
    2. Andre Greipel
    3. Philippe Gilbert
    4. Mark Cavendish
    5. Fabian Cancellara

  10. come on then lads I need some VSP points

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Sagan
    2. Boasson Hagen
    3. Cancellara
    4. Chavanel
    5. Paolini

  11. There’s a bit of unspecified Chavanel picking…

    I don’t think Santambrogio is riding…

    I’m gambling on the bunch sprint getting all messes up somehow. Sags should get the Faboo treatment (marked out of contention) if the teams have any brains.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Langeveld
    2. Chavanel, Sylvian
    3. Boss Hogg
    4. Belkov
    5. Vanotti

  12. @BaltoSteve

    Delgado will miss the start but chase frantically along the Ligurian coast road, and catch the small lead group at the base of the Cipressa. Amazing.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Sagan
    2. Cancellara
    3. Bossen-Hagen
    4. Pozzato
    5. Delgado

    Excellent. Based solely on your prognosis, it seems obvious to me that Laurent Fignon will rise from the dead, sign with AG2R (who also seem to have risen from the dead), be declared fit and eligible to race, and promptly kill the bunch over the Poggio to solo in and secure his final MSR victory.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Fignon
    2. Sagan
    3. Posthumous
    4. Eldritch
    5. Van Smegma

  13. VSP PICKS:

    1. Sagan
    2. Gilbert
    3. Nibali
    4. Cancellara
    5. Boasson-Hagen

  15. @Graham

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Peter Sagan
    2. Moreno Moser
    3. Filippo Pozzato
    4. Daniele Bennati
    5. Hayden Roulston

    That ain’t a bad finishing order!

  18. People I might have put in were Nocentini and Offredo. And Haussler is talking a good game about the weather.

    I’m encouraged by Hushovd managing to get over the hills in Tirreno near the front of the race.

    And normally I would say that a strong favourite like Sagan would be marked out but he seems to be able to win at will. My only doubt is whether the distance will bring him down a notch but it’s hard to bet against him.

    BTW did you know St Ambrose (Sant’Ambrogio) is the patron saint of Milan. That’s got to count for something.

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Billions and billions
    2. Not quite fast enough Phil
    3. You say potato
    4. Saint Ambrose
    5. God of thunder

  21. So excited. I feel like the season is actually starting for real now!

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Sagan
    2. Goss
    3. Haussler
    4. Thor
    5. Chavanel

  24. @seemunkee

    http://www.gocomics.com/frazz/2013/03/16

    todays Frazz comic is about M-SR

    it is so, so true – the one predictable thing for tomorrow is that I will record the race whilst out riding, sit down to savour the spectacle, only to open an innocent looking text containing full race results, thus spoiling the drama completely

  28. VSP PICKS:

    1. The beast from the east
    2. Spartacus
    3. The thunder god
    4. Manx Missile
    5. PhilGil

  29. VSP PICKS:

    1. Sagan
    2. Gilbert
    3. Cancellara
    4. Pozzato
    5. Sylvain Chavanel

  31. @Vernwitha_V

    @Harminator Santa is on every start list I’ve seen. Did he scratch and I missed it?

    No, he’s currently starting. The Vini website has an update from yesterday with him doing a recce for MSR.

  33. dont ask how this podium prediction will emerge, a break, a catch, a sprint. yes definitely a sprint!

    VSP PICKS:

    1. griepl
    2. goss
    3. sagan
    4. nibali
    5. faboo

  34. @tony macaroni Even though I did not pick him I would loooove to see Moser stick a long range break.  You just know that he will try it and Sagan will just mark the chase attempts.

    But I would truly love to see Boonen win (another guy that I did not pick) as he has been second before (at least I am pretty sure that he has) and then people would stop saying that he is only a two trick pony which is totally unfounded.  It’s like when people say that Messi is not great b/c he has not won a world Cup.  What the hell?

    Cannot wait until tomorrow!

    And fuck yes, I just finished my second espresso and really need to get a ride in before this caffeine high that I am riding wears off!

  38. VSP PICKS:

    1. Sagan
    2. Hushovd
    3. Cancellara
    4. Gilbert
    5. Boassen Hagen

  42. I think that Tommy V is going to wreck the day!

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Tommy V
    2. Sagan
    3. Chavanel
    4. Moser
    5. Thor

  43. @ped And he loses his bidon in the crash, too.

    This is why every pro should get rid of their bidon within the last 3km before the sprint.

  44. @Dan_R

    I would love that! I can’t help feeling as though it’s a little early in the season for him, but maybe the weather will work in his favour. If it’s to be wet and unpleasant, he strikes me as one of the protagonists who might thrive in those conditions. More likely, I imagine he might try to spark something on the Cipressa, have it come to nothing, and sit up after a good day’s work. There are a number of “outside” contenders for whom this might apply…

  45. @Steampunk Yes, with harder weather, he could be one of the animators. Sagan is the hands down favorite  but if things get interesting, which they do at MSR…It will be palpitations!

  46. @Dan_R

    I think that Tommy V is going to wreck the day!

    VSP PICKS:

    1. Tommy V
    2. Sagan
    3. Chavanel
    4. Moser
    5. Thor

    Now THAT is an awesomely gutsy pick! Chapeau!

  47. @Steampunk

    @Buck Rogers

    Boonen: 3rd in 2007, second in 2010. Which means he needs Freire to win in order to make the podium. That seems unlikely this year, since Freire has retired.

    Thanks!  I thought that he had been on the podium before.  It would be so cool for him to get the win and secure his 3rd Monument, not that he isn’t already a Classics God!!!

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