Velominati Super Prestige: Strade Bianche 2012
The Monte Paschi Strade Bianchi is happening this Saturday and it is such an interesting race we are putting it into the VSP. The route is a mix of pavement and white marble sectors that roam through the hilly Tuscan country and finishes in the middle of beautiful Sienna. It seems early to me but that is because the Giro had an epic stage on the Strade Bianche in May 2010. The word epic is overused but the wet, grimy Giro stage was compelling, awesome, everything you would want in a race. It was epic.
This race grew out of the immensely popular Eroica retro-sportive. Goggles, mustaches, heavy old bikes, I don’t understand it. It must be like the Civil War enactments in the USA: people are compelled to recreate something, and participate in it to understand it. I’m never going to participate in the Eroica sportive, so I’m never going to understand it. Sweet Merckx a mighty, I’m old enough to never want to ride a bike with a five speed Regina cluster again. Give me Campa 11 with electronic shifting if you must, I’m riding into the future.
Phillipe Gilbert started his reign of terror in 2011 by winning the Strade Bianche and he never stopped. I would not want to bet against him and yet, perhaps he is saving himself for a month from now. His team is stacked with possible winners (a phrase we are going to be over-using this year). Judging from past results the Italians have not had any home road advantage but if Vinny “da shark” Nibali can ride away from everyone in Oman, surely he can do it here. This year’s incomplete start list includes past winners, potential Spring Classic stars and Mark Cavendish. Did I imagine this, the World Champion on the crushed marble roads of Tuscany? Please stay tuned for a more accurate start list.
I will stop further skewing the odds at Lotto, they are all winners aren’t they? Put on your aluminum foil thinking caps, consult the awesome countdown timer which will stop on Saturday morning and be thankful there is not a women’s edition of this race to show the world how little you all know about women’s racing (@cyclops excluded somehow).
I just can’t stop myself from including a bit of wet strade from the Giro.[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0jCHawi9II[/youtube]
@Netraam
This!
Goddammit!! bollocks!
@paolo
Can’t watch that in my country. Which is weird, never had that kind of problems before.
If anyone wants to see the link you have to use the little side bar “recent posts”.
I don’t know why…I’m sure Frank does.
@mcsqueak
I have never understood that one – ever. I only know its Peter Sagan because the code I wrote to automatically map the riders whenever possible is able to figure it out, even though I’m not. Computers are cool.
@Chris
Is this a joke? Most of these riders have retired, yes? I mapped them as N/A, so dispute them and tell me whats up if I’ve missed something. They’re not in database anyway, not that that means anything. We use the UCI’s list as our base and it’s grossly incomplete.
@frank
Sorry, yes they’re all a bit past it now but were in the Linda McCartney Team. I was going to swap them out when Gianni posted a complete start list. That’s acetone fumes for you.
I am really feeling that Gobbles has other fish to fry this year – he may win because he’s one of those guys who tries to win every race he starts, but I feel his goals lie elsewhere. I base this on a loudly spoken guess, which is almost as impressive as an actual fact.
Sagan, on the other hand, is really knockin’ on the door and I think he’s due for a race like this. Kreutziger is sitting on the start list, just begging to be included in the list, so I’ll do it. Ballan – ugliest man alive – is always there and isn’t really good enough to be able to focus on one even or another the way the biggest names can.
Moser’s just a cool fuckin’ name and I want him in my list. As for Hope of a Nation – he’s just too fun to leave off, and did an amazing ride on the cobbles before. When no-one is looking, that kid can pull out a race.
VSP PICKS:
1. Billions and billions
2. Kreutziger
3. Ballan
4. Moser
5. Hope of a Nation
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Hesjedal
3. Sagan
4. Nibali
5. Gilbert
@Chris
No worries – the start list has been updated, by the way. Or you could have gone on the interwebs and found it, eh?
@paolo
No idea what you’re on about. Your link seems to work ok? I did push out a big update to the site today, so you may have a little cacheing issue going on, but whatever I’m seeing looks OK.
VSP PICKS:
1. fabian
2. gilbert
3. sagan
4. cadel
5. iglinskiy
Huh, updating picks as I thought for sure that I had seen Chavenel on a start list but now cannot find him. Hard not to pick Sagan anyways.
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Cancellara
3. Sagan
4. Ballan
5. Nibali
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Ballan
3. Cancellara
4. Sagan
5. Vansummeren
VSP PICKS:
1. Philipe Gilbert
2. Peter Sagan
3. Alessandro Ballan
4. Fabian Cancellara
5. Ryder Hesjedal
@frank
Hehe. I went through several years of reading all sorts of space science shit, so any time I see the word “Sagan” I automatically think of the dead scientist.
Oh and these are my picks.
VSP PICKS:
1. Gil-bear
2. Dead scientist sagan
3. THIS IS SPARTA(cus)
4. Belgian Toothpaste Kiss
5. I like Cuddles and long walks
I like Sagan, but no sprinters will make this finale. Sorry
VSP PICKS:
1. Cancellara
2. Gilbert
3. Nibali
4. Visconti
5. Ballan
Plus those leaky gas guys seem to stick together.
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan
2. Nibali
3. Cuddles
4. Ryder
5. Visconti
VSP PICKS:
1. Greg Van Avermaet
2. Sagan
3. Faboo
4. Ballan
5. Pablo Lastras
Messin’about
VSP PICKS:
1. Greg Van Avermaet
2. Sagan
3. Faboo
4. Ballan
5. Oscar Gatto
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Nibali
3. Gatto
4. Sagan
5. Cancellara
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Nibali
3. Cancellara
4. Ballan
5. Visconti
VSP PICKS:
1. Philbert
2. Sagan
3. Cancellara
4. Gatto
5. Van Avermaet
VSP PICKS:
1. Nibali
2. Gilbert
3. Cancellara
4. Hesjedal
5. Gatto
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan
2. Dan Martin
3. Gilbert
4. Cancellara
5. Ballan
Phil Gil again. Canch not far behind.
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Cancellara
3. Chavanel
4. Geraint Thomas
5. Cuddles
VSP PICKS:
1. Ballan
2. Sagan
3. Spartacus
4. Chavanel
5. Ryder
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan
2. Cancellara
3. Hincapie
4. Maaskant
5. Visconti
….and Hope of a Nation??? I watched all last year hoping this would become clear – sounds like either an Englishman or a Frenchman, as they are the two countries who always put all their hopes in one basket, before throwing that hope on the floor and jumping up and down on it, in a fit of mob destruction
So I’m guessing it is Gallopin? Non??
@sgraha
While I did read somewhere that the Rainbow Jersey was taking part I haven’t been able to find a start list that includes the Sky team.
@frank
Watch this and you’ll understand…
Carl Sagan’s Cosmos series on astronomy – he was given to emphasising the vast scale of the universe and our tiny place in it, so often referred to billions of stars etc and it unintentionally became a catch phrase.
The video is awesome. Someone with more time on their hands than I could ever imagine has gone through the whole series and edited together every single use of millions, billions and trillions… in order. They deserve a +1 badge even if they have no idea what it means.
I wonder if someone can get Peter Sagan to say billions and billions…
Ooops, sorry forgot link…
http://youtu.be/HZmafy_v8g8
VSP Picks:
1. Gilbert
2. Vansummeren
3. Cancellara
4. Hincapie
5. Graziato
Apologies, 1st timer.
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Vansummeren
3. Cancellara
4. Hincapie
5. Graziato
@ChrisO
That’s awesome! I love the emphasis in BBBBBillions and TTTTTTrillions.
VSP PICKS:
1. Sagan
2. Gilbert
3. Vansummeren
4. Cancellara
5. Nibali
Interesting cumulative factoid
Milan-San Remo – 6,260 feet
Tour of Flanders – 5,709 feet
Paris-Roubaix – 3,259 feet
Li̬ge-Bastogne-Li̬ge Р10,883 feet
Amstel Gold – 8,993 feet
Hopes and dreams
VSP PICKS:
1. Saggin’
2. Faboo
3. Ballin’
4. Canhego
5. Van avermat
VSP PICKS:
1. sagan
2. faboo
3. gilbert
4. nibali
5. blythe
That finish in Sienna is the best – what a great race!
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Cancellara
3. Nibali
4. Martin
5. Ballan
Wonder what the % is on the final climb – what a finish! Great race.
@Dr C
I’ve fixed your post
@Rob yes, the final few km’s of this race are brilliant. I watched the youtube clip last night, steep uphill then twisty old narrow streets.
Slightly more educated guess this time. These guys haven’t retired yet.
VSP PICKS:
1. Saggers
2. Gilbbers
3. Nibbers
4. Fabbers
5. Ballers
@motor city
THAT’s something we can work with!
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Cancellara
3. Cuddles
4. Sagan
5. Nibali
VSP PICKS:
1. Van Avermaet
2. Sagan
3. Pozzato
4. Moser Jr
5. Gilbert
VSP PICKS:
1. Gilbert
2. Cancellara
3. Sagan
4. Hincapie
5. Van Avermaet
Tough race to call this early in the season with some strong rosters ……
VSP PICKS:
1. Ballan
2. Sagan
3. Faboo
4. Christian Banged & Felled
5. Iglinsky
VSP PICKS:
1. Nibali
2. Cancellara
3. Ballan
4. Hesjedal
5. Visconti