Let us pray for rain.
The Sunday after Ronde Van Vlaanderen brings us to Paris-Roubaix. The Holiest of Holies. There are no bergs to ride over, instead, accelerate to maximum speed to be in the top 20 to start each cobbled section, bring power up to flank to float over broken treacherous farm path crown, gutter or ditch or all three at the same time as required. Recover once back on the tarmac. Repeat 26 more times.
This Sunday’s edition of Paris-Roubaix will have Velominati moaning, staring through half empty bottles of Chimay, burning candles to Saint Ludo of Dierckxsens (the patron saint of Flemish V), begging for a sign. The winner won’t be a first timer to this race, he needs experience on these stones, he will also require equally experienced teammates who can hang tough close to Roubaix. He must be massively fit. He must be tough as nails. Andy Schleck will not be out here on Sunday, not because he is not tough (OK, he is not tough enough for this) but racing on such terrible cobbled farm tracks is a skill only a certain subset of professionals develop. All around tough bastard Bernard Hinault, aka The Badger, thought it was an insane lottery, unworthy of his attention but he did ride it twice and won in 1981. In 2011 you could do worse than roll up to the start on your 1980 steel Merckx ride as today’s bikes, used just for this one race, have a lot of old-school about them: 27mm profile tires, huge inner chain rings, 3-cross laced wheels, longer rake front forks, longer chainstays. These bikes go back into storage when this race is over. Insane bikes, riders, fans and of course, throw in some bad weather and we have a real race.
Finally Fabian Cancellara has shown himself to be human, a really strong human. Tomeke Boonen is showing signs of past greatness. Garmin-Cervelo has been hammered from all quarters, they are under pressure and Thor has always said this is the race he wants to win. Gilbert is fit, ready and Belgian (news flash, he may be ready but not to race P-R, coward). Chavanel is fit, ready and French. Could Ballan be the new Moser? No. Not ever. Team Sky, with nary a Belgian still has a shot with a Spaniard, an Englishman and a Welshman.
The spinning wheels of Fortuna could play havoc on the best laid bets like it did in 2001. Dutchmen Servais Knaven won it all. Knaven, with teammate Johan Museeuw was part of a select group closing in on Roubaix. Being the dutiful domestique he attacked to force Museeuw’s adversaries to chase but no one could. He was a tough guy and rode away with a beautiful victory.
Let us pray for rain.
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So many people can go for the win...
Also, you guys crashed the server. I couldn't get on the site for 3 hours.
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Hushovd
3. Cancellara
4. Ballan
5. Jan-Anton Pijl
Just realized Gilbert is not riding.
VSP PICKS:
1. Sparty
2. Ballan
3. Boonen
4. Thomas
5. Thor
This taint easy but it never is. My thoughts? Boonen and Chavanel figure out how to ride together (or ignore orders) and make it to the V-Drome to finish 1 and 3, one man shy of the Mapei trifecta. After BMC gets Big George to within sight of the last sector he follows Tommeke and Chave for a podium spot and at least goes out in first place of all the losers. Faboo and Leukemans roll in sometime later. Sorry but Garmin won't factor. Thor isn't on form, Tyler let's the pressure get all up in his grill, and Heine is a pussy. They should have taken the low road and kept White.
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Hincapie
3. Shavedinhell
4. Faboo
5. Leuk-I'myourfather-mans
3rd time is the charm. this is my final answer.
VSP PICKS:
1. Sparty
2. Ballan
3. Boonen
4. Thomas
5. Chavanel
VSP PICKS:
1. Sparty
2. Ballan
3. Boonen
4. Flecha
5. Chavanel
Ballan to surge from the select grroup a few km from the finish a la his world champs victory. Hincapie to be his foil. Spartacus marked out of the game by Hammond, Flecha and Potato and left with nothing for his sprint again. The rest to sprint it out for the minor places
VSP PICKS:
1. ball an ball
2. boonen ball
3. thor
4. spartacus
5. gran turismo thomas
VSP PICKS:
1. Spartacus is pissed!
2. Klier takes a flier
3. Tomke gets thirdke
4. Goss ain't the boss
5. Throwin' the George a Bone
My head tells me Fabu, but the Classics are all about heart. Being from Greenville, my heart desperately wants it to be George. Tommeke's desperate brattiness last week leads me to believe his time has come and gone. Chavanel will break away again, but he'll get caught by a rampaging Spartacus with the God of Thunder and George sucking on his wheel and Tommeke fading away to battle for 5th. Lightning strikes, George grows a pair, and takes a flyer at 5k and gets a 10 second gap that he barely holds to the end. Thor outsprints Fabu for 2nd, and Chavanel limps in for 4th.
VSP PICKS:
1. Big George
2. God of Thunder
3. Fabu
4. Chavanel
5. Tommeke
its gonna be hot, fast, dry. I was hoping for cold, wet, nasty and a terrible north wind, but...another year blows, it still is the Queen
VSP PICKS:
1. Spartacus
2. Thor
3. Hincapie
4. Boonens bye gone
5. Thomas
@Bo
I'm in Spartanburg, and I feel you on the Big George pick.