2nd Annual CG Tour de France Challenge

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by bluegoose

Okay folks. Here it is - our second annual Cougarguard Tour de France challenge. After last years amazing success (who won anyhow?) the challenge is back by popular demand (Did anyone remember that the Tour starts in 2 days?).

Here are the rules:

Below is a list of 10 items covering what I consider the depth and breadth of this year's tour. Make a prediction for each of the items. As the tour progresses, obviously things will change with peleton dynamics, injuries, illness and with the current leaderboard. We will have additional opportunities for revisions and predictions as the Tour goes on.

1) Prologue - This one's wide open, with no clear cut favorite. Who will have the honor of wearing the maillot jaune for stage 1?

2) Stage 1 - First mass sprint - All the big dogs bring their "A" game to this one.

3) Stage 13 - ITT #1

4) Stage 9 - Up and over Col du Galibier. Classic stage. Profile reminds me of Landis' mad dash to the finish in #17 last year.

5) Stage 14 - The climb up Plateau de Beille, one of the toughest mountain finishes of the tour

6) Stage 15 - Arguably the toughest stage of the tour and possibly the one to decide the CG

7) KOM (polka dot jersey)- Will Skeletor three-peat? Will another anorexic rider emerge from the pack to challenge?

8) Sprint Points (green jersey) - Who's got the biggest set of thunder thighs in the grupetto?

9) Paris Champs-Élysées - The mad dash to the finish. Unfortunately we no longer have myboynoah there to capture it all on film (or at least 2 seconds of it as the peleton passes by his house).

10) GC overall (maillot jaune)- Make a prediction for the entire podium finish.

So go ahead and make your predictions now. We will have other challenges as the tour progresses and as dictated by our interest and energy levels. There will be prizes to the overall winner, which will be determined soley by me and my vast expertise of cycling-prediction-prize-give-aways. Actually, I'm still open on how to determine a winner, aside from a single point for a correct prediction to each number above, three for the CG.

If anyone has any cool cycling stuff they want to donate for a prize, please, by all means (eh hem, RCV, perhaps an original bike car-top bra).

1. Cancelara.

2. Robbie McEwen.

3. Cancelara.

4. Soler.

5. Cantador.

6. Valverde

7. Skeletor.

8. Boonen.

9. Moreau.

10. Valverde, Sastre and Leipheimer.

I think 1 through 5 are pretty safe, but 6 through 10 remain in question.