Rarely this season, or perhaps never before, have the Podium Cafe Virtual Directeur Sportif points been flying off the shelf like they will this week. In fact, this may be the most lucrative week of the year: nothing tops a Grand Tour for VDS significance, and second place goes to third-cat major stage races like the Volta a Catalunya, which kicked off this morning. OK, technically the Giro, while in for quite a week, won't award the big prizes til the end, but by this time next week we'll have some idea of where those points are headed.
My Giro squad is in disarray, but for potential overall winner Riccardo Ricco -- a nice caveat. Honestly, with a combination of stage wins and the points jersey, plus a high finish, he might be level with the maglia rosa regardless. I do like the way stage wins have impacted the VDS race. If the GC winner took all the spoils, it might make team-building a little too simple.
For Catalunya, I've got Vande Walle, Chicchi, Quinziato, Amets Txurruka, and Florencio. Top that!