Velominati Super Prestige: Vuelta a España 2012
One of the loveliest things about the Grand Tours is that you get a feel, by the nature of the route, of the country’s landscape and physical qualities. Italy is littered with mountains and coasts, France is bordered by mountains with large swaths of open landscape throughout, and Spain is like Tatooine; mostly desert with some rocky outcroppings. I might be oversimplifying here, but it seems like every edition of the Vuelta features a week or two of riders cutting through open desert on a freeway and then finishing it off with some climbs that require a buzz-saw gear to get up. Of the three Tours, this one is my least favorite, but it’s a bike race and I loves me a bike race.
The Vuelta also stands apart as being the event which generally decides the Velominati Super Prestige GC and the personalized Shop Apron that goes with it; in past editions, we’ve even had newcomers to the event debut at the Vuelta and win the overall, as was the case last year with @Nate’s performance. Unless I have that wrong, in which case I don’t really care. The important point here is that even though there is less interest in this event than others, it matters quite a bit to the year-long VSP, so you better be paying attention, corporal.
No fancy prizes on offer as we did at the Tour, but we do have our customary Symbol Pack up for grabs, in addition to second and third places winning a pair of Handlebar Cufflinks each when they come available in a few weeks. So, check the race details, get your picks in by the time the countdown clock goes to zero (5am Pacific time on Saturday), and buckle in for the ride. Regular GT VSP rules apply. Good luck.
hmmm my picks are not being added…..
VSP PICKS:
1. froome
2. ryder
3. contador
4. j-rod
5. cobo
VSP PICKS:
1. Froome
2. Contador
3. J-Rod
4. JVDB
5. De Gendt
Cmon picks you can do it..
goodammit
I had reasonably good success in the TDF, but not a lot of points (damn you, rest day switch). Let us roll the dice another time.
VSP PICKS:
1. Contador
2. Froome
3. Van Den Broeck
4. Joaquim Rodriguez
5. Valverde
Dont actually give two hoots who wins – just happy there’s a GT on Telly so I don’t have to watch fucking housewives , or masterchef , or geordie shore or etc.
VSP PICKS:
1. contador
2. Froome
3. Rodriguez
4. Gesink
5. Van de B
Can’t think of a better way to get over my post-Olympics blues. Bring it on.
VSP PICKS:
1. Beefy Bertie
2. Kenyan Klimber
3. Purito
4. TdG
5. Quintana Who
VSP PICKS:
1. Froome
2. Contador
3. J. Rodriguez
4. Kessiakoff
5. Cobo
VSP PICKS:
1. Contador
2. Froome
3. Van den Broeck
4. Rodriguez
5. Anton
@ Frank
A bit disappointed with your indifferent introduction to the Vuelta VSP. While past editions have included long stages across the hot, mostly flat south, this edition looks different. 10 Hilltop finishes including 6 major mountain finishes. And it all takes place in norther Spain, much of which is as rainy (and thus as green) as the UK. I really think that Unipublic has done a good job in the past few years of making it interesting and different from the other two Grand Tours. Of course I am biased since it is my “home” tour, but I’m looking forward to it, even if I think Contador will take it without too much serious opposition (as I think Froome is fried).
Anyway, it finishes down the street from my house, so if anyone is going to be in Madrid for the finish let me know. We could even organize an ad hoc Cogal to Navacerrada that weekend if anyone in in town and interested. My picks below.
VSP PICKS:
1. Contador
2. Igor Anton
3. Joaquim Rodriguez
4. Chris Froome
5. Thomas DeGendt
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cobo-im-not-in-great-shape
VSP PICKS:
1. Contador
2. J-Rod
3. Froome
4. Mollema
5. Talanski
@King Clydesdale
Do we have an award for the Worst Choice of Words category? I hope it was just translation bias.
“I feel like I can challenge for important things and there are always positive circumstances that can change your life.”
@Smithers
You could get out and ride more…
VSP PICKS:
1. Chris Froome
2. Alberto Contador
3. Jurgen VanDenBroeck
4. Robert Gesink
5. Bauke Mollema
What time does the Veulta start tomorrow?
Is this a nighttime TTT?
@Steampunk
you saying I is fat ?
VSP PICKS:
1. Contador
2. J. Rod
3. Froome
4. Grsink
5. JVDB
To answer my own question yeah it starts late and according to cyclingnews Caja Rural will be wearing “bull-fighting” style kit. Not really sure what that means
VSP PICKS:
1. CONTADOR
2. FROOME
3. VAN DEN BROECK
4. DE GENDT
5. COBO
Looking for some Belgians to show.
I like that lead photo – A Lot of V being put down, some Cosmic Carbones, a thousand yard stare from the Shark, and the Yellow Princesses for an added bit of awesomeness. Nice!
VSP PICKS:
1. Froome
2. J. Rod
3. Contador
4. JVDB
5. Igor Anton
@smithers
Not in the least””just thinking there might be better options to Masterchef…
VSP PICKS:
1. contador
2. froome
3. anton
4. de gendt
5. quintana
looking forward to surprises and hard racing
Peaked two months ago.
VSP PICKS:
1. Contador
2. Purito
3. Froome
4. Cobo Rop
5. Mollema
Fire in the hole!
VSP PICKS:
1. The Spanish Steak
2. Froome
3. J Rod
4. Mollema Russles Wart
5. De Gent
VSP PICKS:
1. Contador
2. Froome
3. Joaquim Rodriguez
4. Gesink
5. De Gendt
Yup
VSP PICKS:
1. Froome
2. Contador
3. De Gendt
4. Rodriguez
5. Davis
Done
Must be a South Australian thing …… my picks not showing either ………. i.e. Froome, Contador, De Gendt, Rodriguez and Davis
VSP PICKS:
1. cuntador
2. froome
3. jrod
4. anton
5. mollema
VSP PICKS:
1. Contador
2. Froome
3. JRod
4. JJ Cobo
5. Talansky
The position that I reside in is one of desperation and I am forced to make rash decisions, but I shall stand by my picks.
Thank you keepers for hosting an excellent competition and an excellent site that educates as well as inspires, keep up your good work. -Bret
VSP PICKS:
1. Rodriguez
2. Contador
3. De Gent
4. Froome
5. Talansky
Desperate circumstances call for desperate picks.. Thanks for the great competition and all your efforts. Keep the faith, Bret
allright no picks showing tonight so I will drop knowledge manually.
Rodriguez, Contador, De Gent, Froome, Talansky. Thats right! Hope Im not duplicating and making things harder but Im just sure that this is my big chance!!-Island Bike, Bret
VSP PICKS:
1. Contador
2. Froome
3. J Rodriguez
4. Gesink
5. Valverde
I’m betting against Bertie, hoping he just doesn’t have the racing in his Spanish legs to close the deal. If Froome is such a bad ass, now is the time to prove it.
VSP PICKS:
1. Froome
2. Contador
3. Thomas de Gendt
4. Valverde
5. j-rod
VSP PICKS:
1. Froome
2. Contador
3. de Gent
4. Gesink
5. Anton
@Islandbike
Try reloading the page or rebooting the browser. There is no tidy way to put in picks manually. grazie
Just had to tinker…
VSP PICKS:
1. Froome
2. Contador
3. JRod
4. JJ Cobo
5. Talansky
Sucky school wireless almost Delgado.
VSP PICKS:
1. Froome-dog
2. Purito
3. Cobo
4. Uran
5. De Gendt
Changing deck chairs on the Titanic…
VSP PICKS:
1. Steak boy
2. Froome-dog
3. Rokkit Rod
4. Jurgen VdB
5. Invisible Denis
Ftw!
VSP PICKS:
1. Contador
2. Froome
3. J Rod
4. Talansky
5. JJ Cobo
VSP PICKS:
1. Cont Of The Highest Odor
2. Ted NuGent
3. The Menace
4. JR
5. VdB
Same as above. Logged in this time.
VSP PICKS:
1. Contador
2. Froome
3. J Rod
4. Talansky
5. JJ Cobo
VSP PICKS:
1. Froome
2. Contador
3. Jrod
4. Cobo
5. JVDB
Gilbert is saying now that “not winning is more the fault of the other teams” and “they no longer let me ride like they did last year”. So is he saying they let him win all that shit last year? Not the best PR statement. I’ll take the youthful running man salute over this bs any day.
VSP PICKS:
1. Alberto Contador Velasco
2. Christopher Froome
3. Juan Jose Cobo Acebo
4. Alejandro Valverde Belmonte
5. Andrew Talansky
VSP PICKS:
1. Clenbutador
2. Froome
3. JJC
4. J Rod
5. Valverde