It would seem that machismo (or is it latent homophobia) prevents me from enjoying the fine work that the ladies have put into Hottitude, so how about some Hottitude for the gentlemen?

NOTE: This started out as Giro Donne riders only, but has obviously expanded to all cycling disciplines and races.

My favorite is an easy pick... lovely Aussie native Rochelle Gilmore of Lotto-Belisol.  Even though Rochelle finished more than an hour down in 80th, she is forgiven her struggles by me....

via www.dewielersite.net

via www.dewielersite.net

via files.splinder.com

How about we have some fun with some BOLD predictions? We are faced with 5 days of getting to watch AGR2 beat their brains out pacing things, which could be fun to watch, especially if some tricky winds pop up, but the real race starts in Stage 15.

My predictions go something like:

Stage 15: Doesn’t look too daunting on the surface, but a mountaintop finish somewhat similar to Arcalis makes it interesting at least. My prediction (and I’m not going out on much of a limb here) is that we see an Astana power demonstration similar to Stage 7. Astana will push the day hard and try to rubber-leg some wannabe GC guys on Cat 2 and 3 climbs, followed by a team diesel blast to the base of Verbier. This will be the first anticipated showdown between the top contenders in the Alps, and may be where LA launches his attack. If so, that will be ill-fated, as the shortish Verbier climb suits Bert to a tee. The Astana goal on this day will be to take the yellow jersey and try to put some time into contenders who might falter or have a bad day.

Stage 16: What a waste of two perfectly good mountains…. both are LONG but not very steep, so this one is hard to predict. Likely Astana protecting the yellow, and if they get lucky, maybe split the peleton and get a gift of some time on some rivals. Unlikely given the day, especially with a 21km downhill finish to chase.

Stage 17: Could be some fireworks here, as contenders need to make a move, and crashes are a huge risk with all of the fast pack downhills. Romme and Colombiere are actually very steep, short climbs, and attacks will be frequent. If LA and/or AC didn’t put any/much time on the contenders on Verbier, those two climbs could be fun to watch, as this is where they will try to put some distance before the TT.

Stage 18: I am obviously one of the few here that think LA stands a chance of pacing Bert on this day, but I’ve said it and I’ll stick with that prediction. I think we will obviously see some massive TT efforts here, and I seriously think Bert and LA will only be separated by single digits on this day, setting up….

Stage 20: Contador will most likely be wearing yellow, but by how much? If there are dangerous contenders lurking within striking distance (like Martin, Vande Velde, Schleck), that would not bode well for LA’s chances, as the yellow would have to be defended. If, by chance, both AC and LA have 1:30 to 2:00 on the other contenders, there could be fireworks on Mt. Baldy between those two.

IN SUMMARY: The race is there for Bert to win or lose. If he races to form, there isn’t much else anyone will be able to do about it unless LA turns back time and finds his 2001 form. LA would have to find his old form AND have some cards fall into place. As always, Levi will kill himself for the team... same with Kloden.  Martin is a wildcard, but one has to think he might blow up somewhere beneath a Contador assault. Vande Velde (my favorite) might be the most serious non-Astana threat, but does he have enough support horses? He has a strong teammate in Wiggins (who knew?) and he has the form to pound Ventoux if his conditioning continues to recover. Sastre is built for Ventoux, but he’ll get slaughtered in the TT and the TT and ITT already put him in too big of a hole, but I do feel he is still a podium threat. Schleck? He is hungry and could surprise… maybe this is his coming out party… he doesn’t lack confidence, that is for sure!

My way-too-early-to-predict-but-I-will-anyway Final Podium?

1. Contador
2. Armstrong
3. Vande Velde