Velominati Super Prestige: Ronde van Vlaanderen 2014
This needs no introduction. The Spring Classics are truly upon us. The course has been modified yet again, it is tougher? The riders make the race and the 2014 Ronde van Vlaanderen is loaded with racers who could win or make the Velominati VSP placings. Just to pick the winner will not be nearly as easy as it has been recently. There are small clouds hanging over Boonen and Cancellara, neither have had a dominant run up to this race, nor has Sagan. Boonen’s team is extremely strong, other teams would kill to have Quick Step’s plan B and plan C.
As always, the Ronde and Roubaix sort out who is the strongest. The final burn up Oude Kwaremont and the Paterburg will hopefully kill any chance for a sprint finish, but if it comes down to a sprint, it shall be awesome. As always, we shall be praying for rain on the Koppenberg and maybe a quick view of a friend drinking a Malteni on the Kwaremont. Here is a provisional start list. So do your Belgian beer shopping, make sure your counter-top frite deep fryer won’t burn down your home and then and only then, contemplate your VSP picks. If you Delgado this you may be cut off for the rest of 2014, because you suck.
The points from the Men’s RVV count towards the overall prizes plus the winner of this event also gets to post for the rest of the year in the Lion of Flanders badge. So review the VSP Scoring Guidelines and get your picks in by the time the countdown clock goes to zero at midnight PDT on Sunday the 30th. If you think we mapped one of your picks wrong, use the dispute system and we’ll review it. Also remember to be precise enough in your description so we know which rider you mean; in other words, if you enter “Martin”, we will use our discretion (read: wild guess) to decide if you mean Tony or Dan – and that choice will not be negotiable once the the countdown clock goes to zero, so be sure to give yourself enough time.
Don’t forget we’ve got three major prizes for the season-long VSP:
- First place overall wins a Veloforma Strada iR Velominati Edition frame in addition to the customary VSP winner’s VVorkshop Apron
- Second place overall wins a set of hand built CR Wheelworks Arenberg wheelset in a custom Velominati paint scheme laced to orange Chris King hubs. (CR Wheelworks is Café Roubaix’s new wheel goods brand.)
- Third place overall wins a full Velominati V-Kit with accompanying custom orange Bont Vaypor+ road shoes.
Good luck, have fun with it, and don’t lose your Rule #43 spirit.
[vsp_results id=”29425″/]
@Buck Rogers Haunted lands indeed.
@roadslave525 tells me it’s from Stefan Vanfleteren’s book ‘Flandrien’ which looks like a good read from a quick squint at google images.
VSP PICKS:
1. F Cancellara
2. P Sagan
3. T Boonen
4. S Vanmaerke
5. S Devolder
VSP PICKS:
1. Boom
2. Ciolek
3. Cancellara
4. Boonen
5. Sagan
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Sagan
3. Terpstra
4. Vanmarcke
5. Thomas
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Sagan
3. Cancellara
4. Wiggins
5. Kristoff
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Cancellara
3. Stybar
4. Sagan
5. Degenkolb
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara Fabian
2. Boonen Tom
3. Sagan Peter
4. Knees Christian
5. Declercq Tim
VSP PICKS:
1. Fabian Cancellara
2. Peter Sagan
3. Sep Vanmarcke
4. Tom Van Asbroek
5. Guillaume Van Keirsbulck
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Stybar
3. Sagan
4. Vanmarke
5. Terpstra
Ok last time I change my picks for this one
VSP PICKS:
1. P. Sagan
2. Faboo
3. Tommeke
4. Z. Stybar
5. S. Van Marcke
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan
2. Cancellara
3. Boonen
4. Terpstra
5. Devolder
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Sagan
3. Stybar
4. Sep
5. Roelandts
This parcourse is too difficult now, there can be no cinderella stories. Bring back the old route. Can you say…..Jacky Durand.
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Sagan
3. VanMarke
4. Terpstra
5. Devolder
sporza poll
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen Tom
2. Cancellara Fabian
3. Vanmarcke Sep
4. Devolder Stijn
5. Roelandts Jurgen
Wie wint de Ronde van Vlaanderen?
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Spartacus
3. Sagan
4. Thomas
5. Stybar
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Cancellara
3. Sagan
4. Devolder
5. Stybar
VSP PICKS:
1. Peter Sagan
2. Fabian Cancellara
3. Sep Vanmarcke
4. Tom Boonen
5. John Degenkolb
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara, F
2. Boonen, T
3. Thomas, G
4. Stybar, Z
5. Wiggins, B
No ass grabbing antics for Peter this year…
VSP PICKS:
1. Fabian Cancellara
2. Tom Boonen
3. Peter Sagan
4. Sep Vanmarcke
5. Niki Terpstra
VSP PICKS:
1. Luca Paolini
2. Peter Sagan
3. Fabian Cancellara
4. Niki Terpstra
5. Greg van Avermaet
Spartacus is going to put this and PR in his crown, then blow our doors off when he shoots for the Hour.
VSP PICKS:
1. Spartacus
2. T Boo
3. Vanmarcke
4. Sagan wagon
5. Terpstra
Likely going to be some Lieutenant (Devolder, Stybar) that gets in the break for the win and the big guns cancelling each other out. That said it’s hard to bet against Faboo’s shear power, but he’ll need a shake the wheelsuckers.
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Terpstra
3. Vanmarcke
4. Sagan
5. Boonen
@scaler911
Yeah. I see either Sparty winning or one of Boonen’s temamates, but not Tommeke. I truly hope and pray that Tommeke wins but I think he will mark Sparty to the end and keep sending teammates off the front. Any move that Boonen makes Sparty can, and will, answer so I cannot see Tommeke winning outright. Hope that I am wrong!
@unversio
Lemand Anders??? Is this some wierd Phil Anderson/Greg LeMan cross bred kid???
Closes eyes…
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellera
2. Boonen
3. Sagan
4. Terpstra
5. Vanmarcke
I wonder what effect the route changes will have on the race. It seems the ability to climb will be more important this year.
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Stybar
3. Boonen
4. Vanmarcke
5. Sagan
VSP PICKS:
1. Zdenek Stybar
2. Peter Sagan
3. Fabian Cancellara
4. Sebastian Langeveld
5. Sep Vanmarcke
modified
VSP PICKS:
1. Vanmarcke
2. Terpstra
3. Gallopin
4. Paolini
5. Stybar
@Buck Rogers Greg and Phil didn’t put him together in a secret cicli-lab. Perhaps Phil conceived him and Greg then raised him as his own — making perfect sense.
Tomeke has the team.
VSP PICKS:
1. Tomeke
2. Degenkolb
3. Sagan
4. Faboo
5. Vanmarke
VSP PICKS:
1. Peter Sagan
2. Sep Vanmarcke
3. Stijn Devolder
4. Alexander Kristoff
5. Tom Boonen
This week started looking for a source on granite setts, thinking about plans to turn the driveway into pave. One day I’ll have to do this.
Soooo hard to pick this race but I think Fabian is going to repeat last years effort on the Pateburg and blow the contenders off his wheel. Unless a Stybar or someone similar gets there first
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Sep Vanmarcke
3. Sagan
4. Boonen
5. Stybar
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Sagan
3. Boonen
4. Devolder
5. Terpstra
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Sagan
3. Boonen
4. Terpstra
5. Devolder
Some pre-race fun:
Van Petegem en Museeuw strijden op de Koppenberg
Gonna go like this…
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Cancellara
3. Sagan
4. Vanmarcke
5. Terpstra
Very happy to see Devolder riding so strongly again. Phew, not an easy one to pick. Sagan seems to be able to do a lot of it alone, QS is insanely strong and Boonen seems to be as well. I’d actually love to see Sep win it.
Gianni – good note of caution on the fryer! Don’t want to pull a Ricky and burn down the Man in the Chair’s trailer.
VSP PICKS:
1. Boonen
2. Faboo
3. Degenkolb
4. Sagan
5. Terpstra
Laurens de Vrees and Wanty are gonna be in the break, I think.
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Sagan
3. Boonen
4. Vanmarcke
5. Chavanel
VSP PICKS:
1. Vanmarcke
2. Roelandts
3. Sagan
4. Terpstra
5. Cancellara
Absolutely wide open I reckon
VSP PICKS:
1. cancellara
2. devolder
3. sagan
4. roelandts
5. boonen
wide open, no idea,
VSP PICKS:
1. cancellara
2. Sagan
3. Boonen
4. Vanmarcke
5. Devolder
VSP PICKS:
1. cancellara
2. sagan
3. boonen
4. sep vanmarcke
5. niki terpstra
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Boonen
3. Vanmarcke
4. Devolder
5. Sagan
VSP PICKS:
1. Stybar
2. Cancellara
3. Sagan
4. Roetlands
5. Devolder
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Sagan
3. Boonen
4. Vanmarcke
5. Stybar