Velominati Super Prestige: Milano San-Remo 2012
The Poggio. It’s probably one of the most famous easy climbs in the world; going through old cycling photographs, I rarely come across one where the leaders haven’t moved Sur La Plaque. It has a reputation, however, for being a real leg breaker, mostly because any climb is a big climb once you cross its summit after a paltry 291 kilometers. And the descent provides one of the twistiest, most exhilarating finales in the sport.
This race stands apart as the longest on the calendar, and represents the only of the five Monuments where the sprinters have a chance at final glory. But this can have it all: the long, solo break routinely makes it to the finish uncaught. The final attacks on the Poggio regularly stick. The attack that goes away on the climb often gets caught on the descent. And, sometimes the whole thing stays together for a bunch gallop. Essentially, any ride who is on form has a chance at glory. This is a unique race.
The question on everyone’s mind is wether Cavendish can get over the Poggio in position to make it to the finish in the first group. If he does, then you can jot down the winner right now. He’s lost some significant weight in the last few weeks, so his climbing should be good; we also have it on good authority from our eyes and ears on the roads in Italy that the Manx Mouth has been spotted training in the hills of Italy with the express intention of making it over the last bump. If, on the other hand, he gets spat out the back like a rainbow turd when the road points uphill, it will be a free-for-all. The fast semi-climbers with descending skills like Nibbles are talking big about their chances. And who in their right minds would ever discount Faboo with his brommer or Gilbert once he fires the howitzers.
So rub your lucky rabbit’s foot and throw some salt over your shoulder; you’re going to need some divine intervention on this one. This year’s VSP is also the first year where we’ll be offering a special badge to the winner of the monuments. We can’t unveil the MSR Badge yet, but the winner of this VSP event will have the honor of posting with the badge until next year’s event. The winner will also receive a free Symbol Pack. Check the start list and get your picks in by 5am Pacific on Saturday morning; if timezone arithmetic isn’t your strong suit, just watch the countdown timer in the banner at the top of the site. As usual, your points go towards the overall VSP as well.
Good luck.
Small bunch stripping off and who’s there? Tomeke. Gonna be a good Spring!
Another Faboonen Spring!
@Marko
I hope so!
Such a quality group right now, and with Cav out of the picture this could be anyone’s race. My question is who is Liquigas working for? Nibali or Sagan?
Its on now!
Anyone who wonders why cycling is such a beautiful sport should just take a look at the climb of the Poggio. That attach was pictureque. And to corner like that UPHILL.
No use flapping your chicken wing there, mate, he’s not coming through.
Ruiz is climbing like he got himself that new EPO! He just passed two motorbikes going uphill!
Nibbles!
Duel of the descenders!
wow! Gerrans!
While my picks sucked, that was a fucking awesome finish!
Nice one, Gerro. Good on ya for continuing your program of devoted wheelsucking and making sure you spend only 5 or 6 meters in the wind.
The classic Faboo marked-man syndrome.
WHAT A FINISH!!! Faboo racing like a total champion – the only chance they had was to have him drill it and keep it full gas – even it it means you loose. Seriously classy racing.
Fucking Boonen down in the last turn. That is brutal – I hope he’s OK. That can be bad, bad timing.
@frank
Exactly.
I hope Boonen is ok.
Sounds like it may not have been Boonen…
Another one for the ‘strayans!
A year ago in Melbourne I watched a crit and Gerrans sat down a meter from me to watch it. Crazy.
@frank
Agreed. He should have buried himself and lost…
wait…
@frank
+1 Nipple lube!
Spartacus make a great lead out man…
@scaler911
-1 Take a churl pill…
Mikael Liddy takes San Remo! We had a 4-way tie for first, but Makael takes it by a whisker for putting his picks in early. Congrats – you get to comment for the coming year with the little map of Italy.
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Fuck – did Tomeke go in the bambulance?
Understatement of the year: “Easy to forget that Cancelara is quite good at going quickly.”
Gripping finish. What a fantastic race. Hope that wasn’t Tommeke down in the crash.
@ChrisO
Did I miss the part of the race where Gerrans worked? I’m sorry, all I saw was him riding wheels. On the other hand, its the right tactical move considering if he was on the front and not Faboo, the break would have been caught.
Nibbles is not looking to happy about getting 3rd
Just hanging on G’phant’s wheel in the overall. Seems like a good place to be as we move up the GC.
Pretty sweet finishing photo, though, no denying theres a big pile of joy there.
@Steampunk
We’ll start calling you Simon.
@frank
A proper salute as well. I’m all for Greenedge. Cool team.
They’re saying it wasn’t Boonen. Dude looked hurt, which sucks, but I’m glad it wasn’t Boonen.
@ChrisO
Agreed. He attacked the fast men and descended like a pro, and timed the sprint perfectly. Fabian had to know unless he could drop Gerrans he was loosing that sprint.
@RedRanger
I think Sagan is more upset about finishing 4th. Nibali is not as explosive as Sagan. If Nibali didn’t attack, Sagan would be on the top step. I smell a new team for Sagan next year.
@King Clydesdale
agree – he played it right at every point and certainly took a turn on Poggio and Nibali never came through once.
Fantastic win for him.
@frank
Agreed. I know it’s the only chance he had to win, but still sucks. Amazing that Faboo still got second considering all the work he did. I think he might want to order one of these for himself so he doesn’t have to say it at every race this spring:
what a beauty of a race, a favorite of mine every year
Spartacus is THE MAN! and who thought Hoogerland would ride like that?? Excellent race.
Gerrans….payout at least half to Cancellara or next time it won’t be friendly
Spartacus was shaking his head at the end like he was disappointed and wasn’t as friendly as usual…..which means next race he’s really gonna drill it
And my man Sagan…dangit!!
Liquigas dinner tonight should be interesting as Sagan and Nibali both are hungery and both feel like the ‘alpha’ of the team
Agreed with KingClydesdale, Sagans gonna be on another team next year
@Marko
Anyone who can hang on Spartacus’s wheel is pretty strong.
Nice race!
Moved from 168th to 58th on the GC after P-N and MSR! oh yeah baby!
@Marko & @frank: I’d love to know what the Liquigas strategy was. Spartacus looked terrific bridging up to Nibali (which he had to do), but once he did, Nibali was always going to be a rank outsider; Sagan couldn’t really follow with Nibali up the road. I also wonder what Spartacus had in mind. Was he waiting for the decisive break (in which case he played it brilliantly), or was he hoping to manufacture something himself at the top of the climb? At the top, would Gerrans have been able to catch his wheel, or did going earlier than he wanted play into Gerrans’s hands?
@LA Dave
Brilliant! If we see a rehash of last year’s Flanders and Roubaix, I’m buying one of these.
In all fairness, Gerrans did go to the front on the run in briefly and the gap was cut in half. The fact of the matter is, the only rider in the bunch who could stay away was Faboo and I love his attitude in saying that its better to tow everyone to the finish and have a chance at the win than to sit up and get swallowed.
There are two truths here: Faboo did all the work and Gerrans was a passenger. On the other hand, had he gone to the front they’d have been swallowed up – and Gerrans would have had to be a total moron not to fight for the win at the end. That’s racing.
Truly a fantastic race and incredible finish.
@frank
Sure Cancellara did more work, but Gerrans did his part and he was able to go with Nibali over the Poggio when nobody else could hold their wheels, take a tricky descent with two of the best in the world, and hold off a chasing peleton just seconds behind.
To start within seconds slagging off someone who has just won a Monument in what most people seem to think was a good race is, in my view, somewhat mean-spirited.
What the fuck happened to Garmin? no one in the top ten. Double H as talking like he was gonna go big today.
@ChrisO
Really? Mean-spirited? What are you on about? Are we supposed to clasp hands and all weep in joy? Sorry, didn’t get the memo.
Looks like it was Trentin who crashed from the QS team, not Boonen, thank Merckx. Sorry if someone else has already posted this.
@Steampunk
Don’t know – I think Faboo’s strategy hinged on dropping everyone on the descent and it didn’t happen. Nibbles didn’t seem to have the fire power going uphill. Sagan was obviously fast enough but forced to wait. Confusing tactic indeed.
@frank
And I guess Gerro didn’t read the bit where he was supposed to make a valiant effort so that someone else could win. I hope his DS is ripping him a new one as we speak.
Enlighten us with how you think the closing kilometres should have transpired ? Everyone takes equal turns and the person who happens to be in front as they cross the line gets the victory ?
I think you’re confusing cycle racing with pass-the-parcel.