Climbing Styles

[BillytheKid]

Simply, how does climbing style define a climber? Do they find what works best for them or is there a best way to it?

 

[Euskaltel!]

One word: Cadence

 

[Havetts]

Another word: Explosiveness

 

[Richeypen]

Its all about the pain face

 

[Swifty's Cakes]

hold on to the team car seems to work best for Cav.

 

[Richeypen]

hold on to the team car seems to work best for Cav.

FFS not this again ZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

[iZnoGouD]

they just do what's more natural to them

 

[trevim]

Its all about the pain face

Chris Sorensen!

 

[skidmark]

Simply, how does climbing style define a climber? Do they find what works best for them or is there a best way to it?

Turning the pedals forwards usually works best, unless you're Schleck and Contador on the Tourmalet. Depends on the situation, I guess.

More seriously, yeah whatever works. Look at Voeckler, if you've ever seen him climb you'd wonder how the hell he could be up there in any mountain stage at all.

 

[pmcg76]

Being watching some videos of the Vuelta from late 80s recently and Fabio Parra was a fantastic climber but God did he have an ugly climbing style, looked like he was screwing the bike.

 

[maltiv]

It's fascinating how different the top riders' climbing styles are. One would think that there would one technique which was the best, but clearly not. Amongst top riders one sees everything from standing all the time (Horner), dancing (Contador), raping the bike (Voeckler) to sitting in an extremely aero and visibly painful position (Wiggins).

Researches show that sitting is more efficient though. However, the difference is smaller the tinier a rider is, which is why some small guys like Contador, Horner etc always stand. Heavy riders like Hushovd, Cancellara and Ullrich always sit.

 

[airstream]

aesthetics attracts me above all. its enjoyable to look at contador perfect, with no unecessary movements, climbing technique. andy is a bit overgeared but his agilità is very powerful, pleasant to observe too. the guys like voeckler, hanging over the bike as a crab and raking the air by knees, really amaze. how does he climb so quickly? seems like a man wastes twice as much energy as usual, climbing like him.

 

[raddone]

Chris Sorensen!

Fernando Escartin!

 

[LaFlorecita]

chris sorensen!

..............

 

[hfer07]

All great Climbers have a "fluent pedaling" not fighting the machine, but rather a rhythmic & yet gentle handling. here are the great ones:

*Pantani
*Contador
*Herrera
*Coppi
*Fuentes

 

[cineteq]

Colombian Style?

 

[Fatclimber]

... raping the bike (Voeckler)...

LOL, yeah, it's not all that purty the way he splays his knees out. If ugly is what wins it though, my vote goes to Evans.

Grace on a bike: Kloden.

 

[Euskaltel!]

Shots of Voeckler at Mende really cracked me up this PN, taking me back to last year. Mind you, about sitting, Cobo's attack at Angliru was mainly sitting etc.

 

[hrotha]

Honchar. Say whatever you want, but he kept exactly the same style on flat ITTs and on the steepest mountains.

 

[Red Rick]

Honchar. Say whatever you want, but he kept exactly the same style on flat ITTs and on the steepest mountains.

I think i saw him ride a tt at the world in 2009 or something, it looked like he tried to break his legs on the pedals. If someone could do an angliru/zoncolan climb with 54-xx gear, it would be him

 

[BillytheKid]

It's fascinating how different the top riders' climbing styles are. One would think that there would one technique which was the best, but clearly not. Amongst top riders one sees everything from standing all the time (Horner), dancing (Contador), raping the bike (Voeckler) to sitting in an extremely aero and visibly painful position (Wiggins).

Researches show that sitting is more efficient though. However, the difference is smaller the tinier a rider is, which is why some small guys like Contador, Horner etc always stand. Heavy riders like Hushovd, Cancellara and Ullrich always sit.

Contrast the difference between Horner and Ullrich. Both push(ed) a big gear, but Horner always stands, always. Ullrich, of course much bigger, but the opposite sitting. I never have, almost never seen Horner sit down on a climb.
He also takes off his gloves on the last climb or two. I like to see a picture of his hands. He also seems to never to shift much. I also like to know his rate of shifting compares to other climbers.

Can anybody remember any one else who climb that way? Pantani could go for a long time out of the saddle on the attack. Contador also, but with greater explosiveness and higher cadence.

 

[Bavarianrider]

Everyrider has to find a style which suits him the best. There is no golden rule. Everybodys body physique is different, and so is the style whcih suits him the best. Look at your personal strenghts and adjust your style accordingly.
Favorite style. Ullrich in shape. So powerful so crafty, yet so smooth and calm. No waste of energy. Both in sitting as well as in standing up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka1mfw9Ys24

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yGEa39oH80

 

[jens_attacks]

i find contador's en danseuse beautiful
i also find contador when he suffers and he's not in form on the climbs with one of the ugliest styles(check giro 2008),back in the saddle just like laurent dufaux on the toilet after eating a shiitload of kfc menus.
i think contador should be banned in the races where he's not at 100%

ullrich was great,pantani too,klodi.
di luca is one of my fav riders all-time but his high-cadence ruins it all,same with lance,legs all over the place,chaos...
big fan also of iban mayo's style(gracious style delivered straight from god) and...frank schleck's.yep i mean it.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Some riders are just well-suited to the mountains, and therefore the technique isn't so important to them; for other riders they need to find some way of minimising the wasted energy.

Some of the ugliest styles have belonged to pure climbers - Escartín, Mancebo and Soler spring to mind immediately; the former and latter both being nicknamed "The Crab" for their side-shuffling riding style. Pantani may have looked good but his climbing style was quite peculiar and not one that could be copied by many - it seemed to work for him though!!! Another ugly one was Bernhard Kohl's "nodding dog" approach (which sadly I appear to have cloned somewhat). Cadel Evans climbing in the saddle is fine, but out of the saddle he looks like he's trying to bounce the drops off the ground. For stylish climbers, you have to go a long way to beat this guy.

 

[gilbertador]

I agree that it depends on wieght if your over 70kg never stand, (Basso, Ulrich, Cobo etc) If your under 63kg feel free to stand 40% of time (Contador, Anton etc)
Think Horner is quite unique

Favorite style though MONCOUTIE absolutely beautiful when climbing