PG Classics - Scheldeprijs - William Shakespeare Edition

It's a little known fact that Shakespeare wrote his 20th play about Scheldeprijs but Queen Elizabeth I was pushing the Tour of Britain and he was forced to change both the location and the plot, though not the concept.

The fallout meant that it wasn't performed until seven years after the Queens death. It was worth the wait though as Much Ado About Nothing was an instant success.

The Course

Of course it’s not easy to get William Shakespeare as a special PG guest but with the help of a medium from Palm Beach FL who said she had a special connection to the dead, I managed to ask him a few questions about Wednesdays race.

Thanks for joining us Will. First question. What do you know about the course?

Well to be honest I never went to Holland so not much.

It’s actually in Belgium Will.

Listen. I got away with saying you could get on a ship and sail away from Bohemia. People aren’t interested in detail.

Is there anything you can say?

Oh hark! Scheldeprijs draws nigh,

A race of speed, of skill, of will to vie.

The peloton shall charge like thunder's might,

As riders strain to gain advantage's height.

In Flanders fields, where cobbled paths doth lay,

The heroes of the road shall make their way.

Ok. Let's move on.

The Favourites

So who do you think will win Wednesday?

Their steeds shall prance with restless might,

As they prepare for this most noble fight.

The likes of Merckx, of Boonen, of Cipollini,

Are but memories of the past, but in this frenzy,

New names shall rise, new tales be spun,

As the strongest, bravest, most daring shall have won.

Yeah. Nice. And this year?

The odds aren't up but the bookies will say,

Jasper Philipsen will have his way.

Anyone else catch your eye?

I have no love for Margaret Cavendish but Mark I do not mind,

His form of course could be better but let us not be unkind.

Fabio will disappoint and Dylan won't be slick.

Maybe instead Team Jayco will ride for young Blake Quick.

Any final words?

So gather round, O cycling fans,

For Scheldeprijs shall soon commence.

Let us cheer the riders, let us sing,

And witness this great spectacle of spring!

Thanks Will.

Here's your startlist and good luck.

The Rules

In this game, only the race results matter. You're not committed to keeping the same riders throughout the series, you make fresh picks before every race. Our overall competition is just the sum of individual race scores. You're eligible for the overall even if you miss some races.

Pick 4 riders for the upcoming race. The order of your picks doesn't matter. All of your riders can score.

Riders score points down to 10th place. Less popular riders score more points than heavily-picked favourites. See below for scoring details.

The strict entry deadline is the official start time of the race, the neutralized roll-out or Départ Fictif. Be warned - if your post is timestamped one minute late your entry won't count! So do remember that there's no disadvantage to getting an entry in early, even the day before, because you may always change your picks up until the deadline. Feel free to rethink your picks when it emerges which riders are more or less popular with other players. If you make changes, post your revised 4 picks in a reply to your original post.

The Scoring