Giro d'Italia Contest: Guess the Jerseys!

We at the Cafe are getting very, very excited for the Giro d'Italia, and if you're a sentient being, you probably are too. Anyone having difficulty doing so should immediately make a double espresso and consult your nearest Dino Buzzati book. Because the Giro d'Italia isn't about merely celebrating cycling, it's about celebrating life itself.

With that in mind, we have hooked up with old friends ProCycleGear.com, retailers of many very lovely and hard to find pro cycling kits, to co-host a contest where if you pick the holder of a Giro d'Italia jersey, you can win that very jersey!

The rules are simple: go here and enter the names for the following questions:

• Who will hold the Maglia Rosso Passione (points) following the day's stage on May 17?
• Who will hold the Maglia Bianca (young rider) following the day's stage on May 23?
• Who will hold the Maglia Azzurra (combined climber's jersey) following the day's stage on May 28?
• Who will win the final Maglia Rosa (general classification) and the Giro d'Italia?

Rather than giving out the jerseys all at once, we will award a jersey approximately each week (somewhat delayed and compressed to make it more interesting and less random) until the Giro is over. All entries must be received by prior to each contest and no later than May 20.

Now, we will only give away one jersey from each classification and I will judge who among qualified entries will get it. Money means nothing to me (cough) so don't try to bribe me. Instead, you should find ways to spice up your entry. Yes, you can do the bare minimum and turn in the four names, but the winner will be selected from all of the entries with the correct guess. And I will need some way to sort the wheat from the chaff. You are invited -- nay, urged -- to get creative. Below is some guidance about what you might do.

Maglia Rosso Passione

Nothing says "passione" like sending your entry in early. This is the one competition where your entry isn't technically due until we're ready to give out the jersey. But! The points competition is pretty easy to handicap in advance, so rest assured, how far in advance you turn in your entry will be a major, major factor. Other factors to consider: number of stage wins, total number of points, and who's running second after the stage concluding May 17th.

Maglia Bianca

This is possibly the second-hardest competition for actually identifying people, since young stars can emerge or disappear from the leaderboard with little warning. The race will have gone through some mountains by this point, so flatlanders are probably out of the question. Anyway, separate your entry from the rest by not only getting the name of the leader correct, but the time gap over #2, or the name of #2, or by getting it in early. I strongly recommend adding a second-placed rider because there's always a chance nobody will have picked the actual holder.

Maglia Azzurra

Here more than anywhere it will be important to name a leader and at least one runner-up, though with the May 20 deadline and the competition awarded eight days later, you will have a chance to see the competition shape up some before turning in your answer. This is important, because as we all know, handicapping KOM jerseys before the start of a race is quite difficult. It's possible that nobody will have chosen the holder, and second choices will wind up deciding the competition. In addition to naming a winner and a second choice, how soon you turn in your entry will likely be the #1 deciding factor, but I'll consider other relevant things like point gaps or stage wins.

Maglia Rosa

The only proper way to give out the maglia rosa is to base it on the final GC, which will likely be up in the air until the penultimate stage up Monte Zoncolan. Early entries won't mean quite as much as, say, picking the whole podium. You can try time gaps too, but really, I can tell you now that I'll be looking for podium picks. Since the victor will almost certainly be someone on numerous entries, additional details will be of use.

Important details, please read!

• There is a limit of one entry per person. Please use the honor system to, you know, honor this.
• Entries are ONLY accepted at ProCycleGear.com/contest. Sending them to me or in the comments will not count.
• Because you can only enter once, you have to choose between an early entry (respect!), a late pre-points (May 17) entry, or a last-minute entry pre-May 20. In the latter case, you obviously can't win the points jersey (or the respect of your peers), but you might have a better chance at another jersey this way. I will answer questions in the comments.
• We will re-post this closer to the end date. Entries are open now though!