Velominati Super Prestige: VVomen’s Ronde van Vlaanderen 2014
Vlaanderen. Its no accident the Flemish word for Flanders starts with a V; there is nothing simple or easy about riding a bike here. If it isn’t wind, its steep bergs. If it isn’t tarmac, its cobbles. Most of the time, its all three. Oh, and the weather there sucks. In fact, Flanders doesn’t have weather – it has VVeather.
De Ronde and Roubaix are the hardest races of the year, and the natural inclination is to assume de Ronde might be the harder of the two due to the combination of cobbles and steep roads. But the cobbles in Belgium are flatter and better laid than those of Roubaix, and the climbs are short enough that you can hide on them. I say you can hide here, but there really isn’t any hiding on cobbles – what I mean is that you can drift through the groups and stay in contact even if you’re a little bit behind your form. I think that’s the secret to the men doing the double – hiding here while still looking for the last 1% of form – then then peaking for Roubaix.
But who gives a flying fuck about the Men? We’re here to talk about the women, who get to race this course a few hours earlier in the day. Elizabeth Armistead knows how to ride a bike, and she’s been winning or getting second places all season long. For her efforts, she’s racing in the World Cup leader’s jersey on Sunday. Lizzy is a waify little thing and I have my doubts she can put up the power you need on a course as demanding as this, but when you’ve got the form you can make anything happen. I’m also putting my money on a timely Evie Stevens performance. But no one can deny Vos will try to repeat after taking the win last year.
The points from the VVomen’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 oh-so-sexy Lioness of Flanders badge. So check the start list, 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=”29423″/]
VSP PICKS:
1. Armistead
2. Johannson
3. Stevens
4. Van Dijk
5. Borghini
VSP PICKS:
1. Gunnewijk
2. Van Dijk
3. Bronzini
4. Longo Borghini
5. Antoshina
VSP PICKS:
1. VAN DIJK Ellen
2. JOHANSSON Emma
3. LONGO BORGHINI Elisa
4. ARMITSTEAD Elisabeth
5. VAN VLEUTEN Annemiek
VSP PICKS:
1. E. Johansson
2. E. Armitstead
3. K. Wild
4. A. Van Der Breggen
5. E. Longo Borghini
VSP PICKS:
1. Johansson
2. van Dijk
3. van Vleuten
4. Longo Borghini
5. Wild
VSP PICKS:
1. Emma Johansson
2. Anna van der Breggen
3. Elizabeth Armitstead
4. Eleonora van Dijk
5. Pauline Ferrand Prevot
VSP PICKS:
1. Armitstead
2. Johansson
3. Bronzini
4. Cromwell
5. Stevens
VSP PICKS:
1. Lizzie Armitstead
2. Emma Johansson
3. Ellen van Dijk
4. Evelyn Stevens
5. Elisa Long Borghini
VSP PICKS:
1. Armitstead
2. Johansson
3. van Dijk
4. Borghini
5. Stevens
Here goes nothing!
VSP PICKS:
1. E van Dijk
2. L Armitstead
3. E Johansson
4. A van der Breggen
5. E Borghini
VSP PICKS:
1. Elisa Longo Borghini
2. Emma Johansson
3. Lizzie Armitstead
4. Amy Pieters
5. Ellen van Dijk
VSP PICKS:
1. E Johansson
2. E Armitstead
3. E Longo Borghini
4. E Van Djik
5. E Stevens
VSP PICKS:
1. Emma Johansson
2. Lizzie Armitstead
3. Ellen Van Dijk
4. Lauren Tucker Hall
5. Tiffany Cromwell
VSP PICKS:
1. Johansson
2. Armistead
3. Stevens
4. Borghini
5. van Dijk
VSP PICKS:
1. Armistead
2. Johansson
3. Longo Borghini
4. Bronzini
5. Van Dijk
VSP PICKS:
1. JOHANSSON Emma
2. ARMITSTEAD Elisabeth
3. VAN DIJK Ellen
4. CROMWELL Tiffany
5. BORGHINI Elisa
VSP PICKS:
1. Johansson
2. Vos
3. van Dijk
4. Armistead
5. Borghini
VSP PICKS:
1. Armistead
2. Johansson
3. van dijk
4. Borghini
5. Stevens
VSP PICKS:
1. Armitstead, E
2. Johansson, E
3. van Dijk, E
4. Longo Borghini, E
5. van Der Breggen, A
And once again – err…
VSP PICKS:
1. Emma Johansson
2. Lizzie Armistead
3. Giorgia Bronzini
4. Anna van der Breggen
5. Elisa Longo Borghin
VSP PICKS:
1. Lizzie Armitstead
2. Emma Johansson
3. Kirsten Wild
4. Ellie van Dijk
5. Anna van der Breggen
VSP PICKS:
1. LONGO BORGHINI Elisa
2. JOHANSSON Emma
3. ARMITSTEAD Elisabeth
4. VAN DIJK Ellen
5. VAN DER BREGGEN Anna
VSP PICKS:
1. Armitstead
2. Stevens
3. Vos
4. Borghini
5. Van Dijk
VSP PICKS:
1. Emma Johansson
2. Elizabeth Armitstead
3. Tiffany Cromwell
4. Ellen van Dijk
5. Elisa Longo Borghini
The Womenscycling tumblr posted a good guide on following the race here.
One from last year:
VSP PICKS:
1. Johansson E
2. Armistead E
3. Longo Borghini E
4. VAN DER BREGGEN A
5. Van Dijk E
VSP PICKS:
1. Armistead
2. Borghini
3. Van Der Breggan
4. Pieters
5. Johansson
Eurosport are showing highlights after some other race that’s in Flanders on Sunday. Happy days!
VSP PICKS:
1. ARMITSTEAD Elisabeth
2. STEVENS Evelyn
3. VAN DIJK Ellen
4. WILD Kirsten
5. JOHANSSON Emma
VSP PICKS:
1. Armistead
2. Van Dijk
3. Johansson
4. Borghini
5. Stevens
VSP PICKS:
1. Van Dijk
2. Armitstead
3. Johnansson
4. Stevens
5. Pieters
VSP PICKS:
1. Van Dijk
2. Johansson
3. Van Vleuten
4. Tucker Hall
5. Wild
VSP PICKS:
1. Johansson
2. Armitstead
3. Van Djik
4. Longo
5. Cromwell
VSP PICKS:
1. Armitstead
2. Stevens
3. Johansson
4. Van Dijk
5. Wild
VSP PICKS:
1. Johnansson
2. Armistead
3. Van Dijk
4. Longo Borghini
5. Brand, Lucinda
VSP PICKS:
1. Stevens
2. Bronzini
3. Johansson
4. Hall
5. Rousse
VSP PICKS:
1. E Van Dijk
2. E Johansson
3. E Armitstead
4. E Longo Borghini
5. E Stevens
VSP PICKS:
1. JOHANSSON Emma
2. VAN DIJK Ellen
3. LONGO BORGHINI Elisa
4. WILD Kirsten
5. VAN DER BREGGEN Anna
VSP PICKS:
1. Longo Borghini
2. Armitstead
3. Johansson
4. Van Dijk
5. Stevens
VSP PICKS:
1. JOHANSSON Emma
2. ARMITSTEAD Elisabeth
3. BRONZINI Giorgia
4. DE VOCHT Liesbeth
5. STEVENS Evelyn
VSP PICKS:
1. Armistead
2. Johansson
3. Longo
4. Stevens
5. De Vocht
VSP PICKS:
1. Emma Johansson
2. Armistead
3. Van Dijk
4. Longo Borghini
5. Stevens
VSP PICKS:
1. Van Dijk, E
2. Johansson, E
3. Armistead, E
4. Bronzini, G
5. Longo Borghini, E
Always tough, these ones. Just got lucky with my picks last race.
VSP PICKS:
1. Emma Johansson
2. Ellen van Dijk
3. Elizabeth Armistead
4. Elisa Longo Borghini
5. Anna van der Breggen
VSP PICKS:
1. Emma Johansson
2. Ellen van Dijk
3. Lizzie Armistead
4. Evelyn Stevens
5. Giorgia Bronzini
Closes eyes….
VSP PICKS:
1. Vos
2. Emma Johansson
3. Ellen van Dijk
4. Elisa Longo Borghini
5. Giorgia Bronzini
VSP PICKS:
1. Lizzie Armistead
2. Kirsten Wild
3. Emma Johansson
4. Anna van der Breggen
5. Tiffany Cromwell
VSP PICKS:
1. Lizzie Armitstead
2. Ellen van Dijk
3. Emma Johansson
4. Elisa Longo Borghini
5. Marijn De Vries
VSP PICKS:
1. Anna van der Breggen
2. Elisabeth Armitstead
3. Emma Johansson
4. Maaike Polspoel
5. Evelyn Stevens
VSP PICKS:
1. A. van der Breggen
2. Lizzie Armitstead
3. Emma Johansson
4. Maaike Polspoel
5. Evelyn Stevens
VSP PICKS:
1. Lizzie Armitstead
2. Emma JOHANSSON
3. Van Der Breggen
4. K Wild
5. Ferrand-Prevot