Velominati Super Prestige: Tour de France 2012
We are proud to announce a change to the Velominati Super Prestige moving forward: sponsorship. We are delighted (if a little surprised) at the interest our partners showed in this endeavor, despite the short notice we gave them. Four sponsors will be gracing the sides of our team bus for this year’s race: fi’zi:k is our Super Domestique Sponsor (think Big George without the shoe covers because who’d want to cover those beauties up), while the leadout train is being rounded out by DeFeet, Pavé Cycling Classics, and Malteni Beer. As we all know, fizik gets a lot of love around here as the Contact Point Supplier, and for good reason. So we thought now is as good a time as any to announce that DeFeet has agreed to come on board as Flandrian Best Supplier, the Pavé boys, our trusted guides over the stones and bergs, and Malteni Biere which fills our bidon and keeps us making bad decisions like teaming up with the Pavé boys.
So what does Super Domestique Sponsor mean? Free shoes to the winners – that’s what it means, dillwhips. Free R3’s, yup the Aristocrats, to the three winners of the VSP: TdF GC Winner and the two Stage VSP’s. As you watch this year’s race, look for the likes of Jeremy Roy and Richie Porte riding the R3’s in complete Rule Compliance. As Leadout Sponsor, Defeet is providing a full Flandrian Best Kit including a base layer, Armskins, Kneekers, and Slipstream Belgian booties for the VSP: Tdf GC second place as well plus two pairs of D-Logo socks to each runner-up of the Stage VSP’s. The Pavé boys (also Leadout Sponsors) are putting up a limited Pavé Cycling Classics wool jersey awarded to third place. We can’t ship Malteni (also Leadout Sponsors) legally, so you’ll just have to wait until you’re in Belgium to guzzle some of that lovely nectar or join the Pavé boys for their Worlds Weekend tour with Johan Museeuw where they’ll get you stupid(er) on the stuff.
Gianni’s Ruminations
Finally, the date has arrived. We have all done our training through the winter, contested the Spring Classics, The Ardennes Races, Romandie, Oh the Giro, The Dauphine, Tour de Swiss. Not all were in the VSP schedule but I know most of you wrote down your picks for the others and tucked them under your pillows. It’s training. There has been time to taper down before Saturday’s prologue start in Liége, Belgium. A young neo-pro, The Fish, is leading in points. The hardened veterans have seen these youth come and go, the season is long. A touch of wheels, a moment of youthful idealism, Vladimir Karpets is picked to podium, The Fish goes down, he panics and by the time he is back up he will never see the front again. Or he will continue to mock us all with his astute choices and lead all the way to Lombardy.
I have staked my claim on the yellow kit ownership some time ago and still see this as an epic Cadel-Wiggo battle to the death and if not death, until one of them sits up. But this year might be the time the youth start to fill up the other three places in the top five.
The Shack’s team car has been crashing into every static object all spring and now Bruyneel has been yanked out of the driver’s seat. The ride can only get smoother but with the reluctant leader Frank Schleck staring at over 100km of prologue and time trialing, as was said in the bunker, they are going stage hunting. I could go on for hours about the 2012 TdF but we have other Keepers who need to vent.
Please check the VSP page for the rules, keep an eye on the awesome VSP countdown timer, don’t Delgado your picks. Here is the start list.
I have to give a shout out to a brave group of Velominati who are heading to the Vermont/Canadian border to draft behind a massive dump truck full of Awesome all the way to the Massachusetts state line. It’s a Cogal only deranged people would attempt and as luck would have it, we supply them here. I hope they get their picks in soon as they may be in no kind of shape on Friday to think about such important things.
Brett’s Misconceptions
It’s all about Fränk. It’s perfect. All the pressure’s off. No lil bro to hold him back. Deliberately sucking all year so far, crashing and quitting, a hint of form, Bruyneel slinks off to deflect attention (and suspicion), Fränk suddenly can time trial and a couple of Pharmy style attacks later he wins in Paris by two minutes, taking the sprint on the Champs Elysees for good measure. Maybe not the last bit. Fränk will, however, finish in lil bro’s favourite position. Or suddenly leave with a stomach bug.
Cadel will take this. It’s perfect. All the pressure’s off. No lil bro to worry about in the mountains. Deliberately almost sucking so far, but not. Hints of form, staying low, deflecting attention. Look after the time trials and command the mountains. Safe, not exciting. Or he’ll step on someone else’s dog, breaking his elbow and decapitating the dog.
Wiggo could take this. It’s perfect. A lot of form. A lot of km’s against the clock. Not too many big hills. Too tall socks. Cav left to fight alone. One bad day is waiting there though, the sort of bad day that not even winning the final TT by 2 minutes can alleviate. Or he’ll crash in the first week, breaking both elbows after getting a sideburn caught in his crazy bio pace chainrings.
Sagan will win the first twelve stages, then leave with a stomach bug. Gossy will gratefully step into the vacant green in the greatest heist since Gerro won San Remo. And the Rug Salesman will be all spotty, due to getting in a long break and not sucking as much as even he expected. That’ll help him to 5th and Zubeldia level evanescence.
None of this may actually come close to happening, but whatever does I hope it’s an exciting race. Good luck to those battling hard for three weeks in the VSP race too, it could just turn out to be the main point of interest a couple of weeks from now.
Marko’s Reckoning
The Fish loses two spots on the G.C. but manages to eek out a pair of R3s in a sub-VSP as G’phant peaks in le Grande Boucle and walks away with le Grande Bouprize. Sad thing is, G’phant is legend but nobody remembers him because he only shows for races, not group rides anymore. Fausto rides a calculated, if not boring, race to move up a spot but just misses out. Gianni gets a glimpse of the podium going into the 16th stage and the Tourmalet but drowns in a lactic acid and caffeine soaked bath in that stage’s VSP. Marko Delgados virtually the entire event while he continues building his family a house in direct violation of Rule #11, which is more than we can say for Brett and Frank who were last seen going in the opposite direction with Bruyneel in a Radiotreksanshack team car dragging a muffler through Liege on its way to a USADA hearing near Austin.
In the meantime, two dudes from the Commonwealth – one with sideburns approaching muttonchops and another with an ass on his chin – duel it out in France. There will be some Italian, Spanish, and Russian dudes there too in an epic the likes of which hasn’t been seen in years. Fuck Yeah people, Vive le Tour.
Frank’s Delusions
It happens every single time. I get all weepy-eyed about the Giro and how it’s the Velominatus’ choice for a Grand Tour. Less crazy, better terrain, a comparatively weaker field usually yielding a closer race. But come the Tour, I get all starstruck as the big names line up in the best form they could muster for the season.
I also had decided to pick Twiggo for the big win, but now I’m not so sure. I love that the guy is tall and can get over a mountain, but there is one irrefutable fact that I can’t get over. He looks much too much like Gianni’s avatar, only not as well-kept. The sardonic look on his face along with those whispy sideburns are just too much for me to take. I’m back to rolling with my heart and my questionable sensibilities to favor Grimpelder this time round, now that he’s out of the shadow of his little brother and will be able to put the swivelnecking energy into the pedals instead of looking behind him.
The good news is that the racing always winds up being awesome. And that’s what its about: panache. So long as Wiggo doesn’t pull an Indurain and take 6 minutes on an early TT, I’ll be happy.
Epilogue
Pick carefully, don’t Delgado, and think twice about those rest day swaps; they come at a heavy price and there are some nice prizes on the line which make the Velominati Shop Apron look like a Schleck’s chamois during the descent of the Peyresourde.
The Fine Print: each contestant is of course encouraged to enter all VSP events, but everyone is eligible to take the prizes on only one VSP. If a contestant takes more than one VSP event (GC or Stage) the prize for that VSP will then be awarded to the player with the next highest score. In the event of a tie we’ll do our best to find the fairest way to break the tie. If something doesn’t make sense, please ask; we’re making this up as we go along.
Get your picks in by the time the countdown clock goes to zero, and good luck. Vive le Tour.
@frank actually I pretty much live all Will Farrell movies. The guy kills me. Just giving you shit on the Loser movie. I must live in a bit of a hole b/c I never even heard of that one. Also, really need to see Avengers as I heard that it was great fun.
@Buck Rogers
Ahhh, fuck, now there is a telling typo. Should be “love” not “live” in my last post.
@frank Eva Mendes plays the greatest female role model in movie history in that film.
But to get the ball back rolling on unprovable drug suppositions, on the back of Paul Kimmage’s comments on Velonation came Wiggo’s press conference answer to an Anthony Tan (a truly imbecilic Australian cycling reporter – who is actually a little endearing) on the responsibility of the Yellow Jersey to answer doping questions. His answer came straight out of the Pharmy Book of Unstraight Answers. As someone put it on the Twittersphere, “Here is the real big prob with Wiggo. He may v well be clean. But he’s using the language of dopers to say it. He really ought wise up”.
That is not calling him a doper – it is calling his press person (Fran Millar) incompetent for not coaching him properly – although I am guessing he wouldn’t be the easiest subject. Don’t know why a guy like Wiggins doesn’t just say, ” I don’t dope. Never have. Never will.”
Instead they come up with the Armstrong-esque answers, “I get tested a lot”, “I work hard”, “I am a talented athlete”. To varying degrees, every pro cyclist on Earth fits this bill Bradley, dopers and non-dopers. Say something more.
Note to all the Wiggo fans out there – this is not calling him a doper. This is calling him a poor manager of the press and his image. Or a doper with a conscience who cant give the unequivocal denial. Which I think is weird – if I was a doper, I would have no problem lying about it. My deeds would have already crossed the Rubicon of duplicity.
I recall Wiggo saying ahead of the tour that while he spent all that time riding up a mountain, that his existence was of a cycling recluse. That seems to fit with his lack of patience with the press, and the fact he’s probably a cranky git by nature is emphasised now he’s got yellow.
@meursault
A read that as aTTitude tent. He’s definitely been sleeping in one of those.
@sgt
It’s a German word… it means “A whale’s vagina…” http://youtu.be/cT8sIT4vBUQ
Nipple lube.
Ask Wiggins what one is and see what he says.
I’m new to this site but have been (all too) active on a few others over the years. I’m always interested in the manners and mores of the different communities. I used to teach English lit, and I was on one academic chat list in which an acquaintance of mine at another school told a third individual on the list that if they ever met at a conference he was going to beat the living shit out of him. And he meant it and could have done an excellent job of it. Serious lulz.
Another board I still watch is partially populated by military and ex-military types, and everybody there has guns, lots of guns (I have varied interests), and it’s an exceptionally civil–and usually boring as fuck–place. Part of the deal, there, is that those guys get together on a pretty regular basis, and the ethic is that you don’t say something online that you wouldn’t say face to face. And generally they’re a pretty staid bunch with underdeveloped verbal obscenity muscles (at least in that context, because that’s the norm there).
I certainly will never argue for or against any particular online culture. (I’ll just participate or not.) But one thing that should be obvious but is often forgotten is that whatever the norms of a community, the participants are creating personae–both for others and for themselves. And that’s just fun, if you can maintain some perspective on it, some mindfulness of it. Kwai Chang Caine once said, “A man should remain silent.” But we can’t all be fictional Shaolin priests and go quietly through the landscape and lay down compassionate and non-judgmental ass-kickings once a week.
And every sophomoric, ironic repetition of the phrase “wanker cunt” (and it’s working for me every time, btw; I’m smiling right now) is another building block of a beautiful community. So fuck you all. And I hope to ride with you some time.
@Marcus
Think you may be on to something.
The way I see it, these guys are competing at the top level, and to even attend a press conference after 200k and racing would probably defeat most of us. They are in the zone, and likely already thinking about tomorrows stage. I don’t see why they even have to attend, surely there’s a team spokesman who could issue statements. I realise media demands are high and sponsorships are on the line, but if I was team manager I would protect my guys anyway I could (stopping short at doping obv.) What do they really say anyway? “Yeah it feels great/disappointing to be wearing/not wearing the yellow jersey”
I would rather read a deeper analysis or account in book form after the event.
@Marcus I remember watching a Cuntador press conference (pretty sure it was him) a number of years ago and he was asked point blank if he had ever doped, and everything feel silent, a bit of a pause, and he looked right at the guy and said … I have never tested positive in my whole acreer. I remember just dying at that moment.
@minion
Training in private isolated areas? Now who used to do that again? Rasmussen was one and remember the riders (including my Kazakh Hero) who were known as the Men in Black? He aint doing himself any favors
@Marcus
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/extreme-training-paying-dividends-for-wiggins
@minion Thanx for uncovering this Teide article. Wanting a volcano right now. Inspiring!
@frank
Awright, I’m gonna take this on. I agree – we aren’t out of line asking these questions. The reason? Like it or not, agree or not, each and every one for these athletes (like any athlete anywhere) IS the product. We celebrate sport because we admire these people. We want to be like them. We want to have the dedication they do to be able to do extraordinary things.
Thus, the athletes are the product. Who gives a rats ass if they are just some human who is good at riding a bike? Unless you’re a bike-rickshaw driver, or a bike messenger, other than the sporting spectacle, being good at riding a bike has no societal redeeming quality *at all*. So, Mr. Wiggo – what you are doing is only important, only meaningful to anyone else, IF you present a product is interesting, entertaining, and above all believable. Otherwise, basically, fuck you. Because, you see, I am your customer, and YOU ARE the PR agent. Get used to the idea. And the advertisers you pimp to get your salary will only be interested in you if I am interested in you. It’s a science, boys, something you probably won’t understand. Remember HTC-Highroad? Best team in the world folded because Bill Stapleton couldn’t convince anyone to put up the payroll. No one saw the value in forking over huge coin to a sport to advertise…what? On who? Oh, they guy with the potty mouth that doesn’t give a shit if we try to stamp out brand on something that we can be proud of to our kids. Yeah. Well done.
Now, this rabbit hole gets really, really deep when you think about “cleaning up” our sport. Why would we care if the athletes dope? I’ve always found it kind of hilarious that the dope these athletes have relied on were all developed by the smart kids. Remember when the jocks were all off at football practice, and the fat brainiac kids were actually doing the science class homework that was assigned? Well, those brainiac kids got the dirt kicked at them at the beach, and the cheerleaders with the big tits all went for the super jocks. Not having any dates, the brainiac kids then actually had time to actually study, get into top schools, went to chemistry class. Meanwhile, lo and behold, when the jocks found no one was interested in “how they went to the state championships their senior year” they wound up bagging loads of groceries. Unable to afford a car (because the big titted cheerleaders all married the rich kids, made babies and moved on) the jocks turned to bikes, and maybe, one day got involved in some local stuff etc etc.
Fast forward, and the bike guy now wants to make money riding a bike, because it is all he has in life. And maybe he has some athletic talent And who is there to help him? Yeah, the kids that gave up all that fun and excitement of sport up in their youth so they could actually have a societal redeeming value – they became doctors and biologists. They discovered making legal drugs pays handsomely – as does being a doctor. I really wonder if some of those doctors out there with athlete clients don’t remember with an internal grin how it appropriate that the roles turned out so predictably. He’s gotta be thinking “This bastard came to me and doesn’t want to be a role model, and here he is looking for ‘help’.” The irony kills me. Post hoc ergo proper hoc.
And no, I don’t have a point. Where’s the tylenol?
@eightzero
Your rant works as long as the kids are one dimensional – jock, nerd, cheerleader.
I taught in an American school in the middle east for four years, and that’s my only first hand experience of US education, but that school pigeon-holed kids straight away. Want to play basketball? Fine – train six days a week and take this Strength and Conditioning class as your elective. Want to play basketball and be in the school production? Bad luck – choose one.
In my last Aussie school and my school in Singapore now, kids can do most things they like.
Great kid I taught in Australia (for example) was: on the firsts rugby team (in winter, forget what he played in summer), playing Macbeth in my production and in another musical earlier in the year, in a choir and played in a symphonic band. In his spare(!) time he fronted a band and played a few gigs a month outside of school. He scored in the top 3% in our state in academics, too.
Exceptional freak of a kid? Not really. Most of the guys (boys’ school) were like that. We just scheduled stuff so they could do so. When I tell North American educators how it is in Oz, particularly in private schools, they just can’t understand it. “Sounds like that would be pretty hard to do” is the attitude I got. Well, yes, it is. But worth it.
So… anyway, what were we talking about? Oh yeah – the jock was the nerd. So was the cheerleader.
@Blah
Helps if I say the cheerleader was probably at a girls’ school up the road. If they have them – we pretty much don’t in Australia. Whatever – there weren’t cheerleaders at the boys’ school I worked at.
@eightzero Totally simplistic view and wrong in my opinion, but top rant nonetheless.
Like I haven’t already beaten ths horse to death…
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tech-tony-martins-tour-de-france-time-trial-flats
So, if you are not doping, and you want to deny it, to satisfy you sceptics,what exactly should Wiggo say? Should he wink at the reporters audience, and say, maybe I am doping?
What would you lot say, or suggest he says?
FWIW, I think he was wrong to use such profanities on record, but that has always been his personality, and I bet Brailsford gave him a bollocking – his book is well worth reading by the way, and adds a lot I insights
I reckon OPQS is coolest kit by a mile, indeed, brown kits are for Cx and MTBers only
why is Nibbles (and I am a big fan of the dude) being so whiny about Wiggo every day, he’s just playing into Wiggo’s hands?
Now he’s upset that Wiggo stared at him at the finish line…… Rule #5 Sicily Boy (presumably a throw back to Mafia rules?)
Forget the is he/isn’t he, I can see Wiggins’ point about him being a guy who rides a bike, not a spin doctor (that’s Michele Ferrari, boom boom). We’re debating it as a snapshot but he is dealing with it every day.
It’s all very well to say it’s bad press management, but I can’t think of any other sport, in fact any other occupation, which has such constant press exposure.
They get swarmed over at the end of stage and then the yellow jersey and stage winners and probably some of the team leaders have to face the press every day. Football players or managers do a pre-match conference and a post-match conference once a week. You don’t get reporters swarming on to centre court to ask Serena Williams questions before she’s put her racquet away.
And frankly most of the time the questions are repeated, or cover the same topics – it’s the How Do You Feel school of journalism.
So either the riders get stick for giving the same prepared answer or as Wiggins does, they try to answer from their heart, not their press pack. How many times are they expected to answer the same question – I’m pretty sure Wiggins has said he hasn’t doped. If he just keeps repeating that then it will sound as false as the I’ve never tested positive line.
That’s what sucks about the reporters asking these questions. I won’t say it is unprofessional because they all do it and seem to think it is what they are supposed to be, but it is lazy, cheap journalism.
I totally support them not taking things at face value and avoiding the glossing-over of the past decades where doping was just a big shared secret. But they will do that by investigative reporting, detailed interviews, making connections and developing sources not by asking the maillot jaune at a post-stage press conference.
@Dr C
I assume it is all just the cycling equivalent of sledging – mental disintegration.
But yes, if you dish it out you have to expect it back, sometimes with an extra scoop.
@Dr C
I like the other one… the dark blue and white of the LOTTO team with the oversize logo, and a teensy bit of red… particularly in team time trials, which we don’t have this race. Grrrr. OPQS kit is great, but only when worn on Tommeke either in Belgium or on pave
@Buck Rogers
just wish all post race interviews went like this to those that know what they do.
@sthilzy Damn this iPad fingering!
Best kit ever? La Vie Claire!
@roadslave525 The LOTTO kit has the sharpest look to it, a strong identity. I’m a big fan of the Liquigas kit as well but that could be down to being a Cannondale junky.
I don’t like EBH’s national stripes at all, looks to much like Cav’s world’s kit from the chopper. Confuses me on the run in to sprint finishes.
@Dr C as I said earlier – he should say “I don’t dope.” or “I have never taken a banned substance.” But no- he has unfortunately or inadvertently or quite deliberately said he has been tested a lot, is a talentedathlete and works hard/ uses new training methods etc etc. That is the classic ambiguous language used by Pharmy and many others.
@frank
I’ve been losing lots of weight since a) being called fat by Museeuw; b) seeing photo of me in the Europress wearing the white kit where I looked like a domestic household appliance on a bike; c) being told by lots of well meaning people that if I just lost some weight I’d be a good cyclist (not realising I’ve lost 20kg so far since I started this odyssey in 2007).
HOWEVER, one thing I will not give up is my post-ride beer (or my red wine, and you’ve seen me drink). I actually keep my beers in the fridge, really cold… as I kid myself that the energy my body burns heating the delicious nectar up to body temperature pretty much offsets the calories I get from aforementioned beer… so it is calorie-neutral if you like (BRILLIANT marketing IMHO)…. yes, I know that if you got a V-pint, filled it with water, dissolved as much sugar in it as you could, then dunked a mars bar in, that wouldn’t get close to the calories it contains, but who cares… it’s beer.
I think I had a point, but I’ve lost it now… I just wanted to rant about something, because it seems everyone is doing it, and I do so hate feeling left out.
Heading up to Maine and chasing lobster rolls. Toasted, untoasted, mayo, no mayo, oil, no oil. These will be the ruminations of the next few days.
I’ll leave you all with this YT gem.
@PeakInTwoYears
I’m also new here – just wanted to quote this post as i enjoyed it almost as much as the arguments!
@Marcus
From http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/tour-de-france/stuart-ogrady-urges-cadel-evans-to-descend-fearlessly/story-fn948baj-1226423917980
O’Grady is contesting his 16th Tour and has never seen a rider able to maintain the consistency Sky’s Wiggins has.
“What Wiggins is doing is just remarkable,” O’Grady said.
“I’ve seen a lot through my career and I’ve seen a lot of guys go well in Dauphine and normally they fade out a week into the Tour.
“Wiggins has done everything to absolute perfection.
“There’s a master plan to this whole Tour de France – he’s come in with a brilliant team.
@roadslave525 it’s a good thing I wasn’t around for Museeuw’s visit. Can’t imagine what he would have called me.
I’ve got a whole load of beer in the fridge keeping nicely cool as well as some in the cupboard that shouldn’t be drunk cold but I’ve still not got a V-Pint Pot to drink them from.
I don’t seem to be loosing any weight from not drinking either, so that bit is a myth.
@roadslave525
You do don’t you
I think we should have a short snappy 3 riding days trip to Malaga, or maybe Barcelona, to hit some hills in November – a late season Spogal to Spain
Not true eightzero. Cycling, as an endurance/non-contact sport, is entirely too nuanced, classy, techy and elegant to be solely for thick-necked jocks (unless you’re a sprinter). It’s in the same category as nordic skiing as a sport where nerds can be successful (just ask frank and I) and get laid by hotties who like skinny nerdy dudes who appreciate more than just smashing some other gorilla. The beauty of sports like this to me is their inclusiveness. When I was coming up, if I didn’t make the team, got picked last, or didn’t get the bullshit Presidential Badge of Fitness, I was led to believe I was a failure. When I started skiing, cycling, paddling, and such I found out for myself that I posses a modicum of athleticism and that when I apply myself I get better. I’m measured against myself – not some doosh who stares at himself in the locker room and date rapes on the weekends. BTW, most of those thickheaded, beef eating, premature ejaculating, dumbfucks from high school are now overweight and look ten years older than I do as they attempt to relive their “glory days” on Sunday afternoons in a bar.
@Chris
I agree, drinking beer has no effect on one’s bodyweight
I have popped a Samuel Smiths Taddy Porter in the friggo to watch the tour on my telly when I get home from work today – family off to a caravan somewhere, so it’ll be feet up, beer, heaven (just got a new 40in screen and HD, just to rub it in!) for a full 5 hour TdF fest, plus of course the 3 hours of extra time and penalties as I watch the whole thing over again – huzzah!
@Marcus
Not sure, I think if he said that, it would sound like Contador – but I get your point
@Dr C I should maybe qualify that to say that drinking beer has no effect on body weight so long as it does not lead to kebab consumption.
Le Tour, en haute définition, c’est magnifique, oui?
Have your legs recovered from the Pyreneese yet?
See you next year Faboo! All the best for bubs on the way!
@sthilzy I remember when Floydpassed Stuey (who was in the break that day) saying he had neverbefore been passed like that by anyone, ever.
@Marcus
To be fair, as I recall, Stuie was speaking as someone who’d never been up the front when the GC guys were racing on a climb. As I recall.
@Dr C
Okay – I have a pen ready: how did you get the family to go away in a caravan?
@Blah
it’s called the Glorious Twelfth in Belfast (please don’t look it up) – a national embarrassment where the local proddy bully boys celebrated the shoeing of the unarmed catholic hill farmers – they make a lot of racket and leave chip wrappers and vomit all over the place – thankfully less embarrassing than it used to be, but most right thinking people head for the hills/ caravan/ sun this weekend – I’m on call, so have to stay home and watch le Tour – sad isn’t it
@Dr C
Dammit – if only my country had a depressing history of violence and division. Oh well. enjoy the quiet inside, ignore the racket outside.
@roadslave525
20kg is one hell of an achievement,chapeau. The odd beer is going to have fuck all impact especially if after a ride.
This will test Wiggins…..first real attack on his yellow
@roadslave525
Only an Englishman could write that…
@roadslave525
The critical question was also asked, what is the ugliest kit? Astana, hands-down, ants in the pants. Ugly-fuggly.
GO NIBBLES GO NIBBLES GO NIBBLES!!
Timed perfectly when Porte went down! AWESOME!
(Massive chapeau to Evans for the earlier move. It didn’t work, but who gives a shit. That was all class and its the only option they’ve got at this point.)
All this Wiggo/Doping thing, by the way, has been a great (and much better tempered) conversation. Great stuff.
I love the fact that he’s rocking the team bibs with that yellow jersey and the Rule #8 compliant bars/saddle combo. Classy look, though I’d prefer he just rode a team bike.
Evans should go right now, by the way.
What I wanted to say before I got distracted was
GO NIBBLES!! GO GO GO!