Climbing Styles

[Wigwan]

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

Moncoutié is the best climber of all time. As one of the only clean guy in the peloton, he managed to finish 13th of the Tour de France 2002.

 

[Marco Pantani]

Favorite style though MONCOUTIE absolutely beautiful when climbing

For me, it's Capecchi

 

[RedheadDane]

Chris Sorensen!

Energy level: 27!
You probably need to be Danish to understand the joke...

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.

Didn't Hushovd basically learn to stand up as part of his sudden transformation into somewhat of a climber?

 

[Bavarianrider]

Moncoutié is the best climber of all time. As one of the only clean guy in the peloton, he managed to finish 13th of the Tour de France 2002.

Whe know he is clean, why?

 

[ferryman]

It's been a long time now since I read Stephen Roche's auto but I remember, I think, a section in it how Millar taught him how to sit back in the saddle on certain climbs. I think it may have been in reference to false flats but as I said it was a long time ago, so could be misplaced but it has stuck for some reason.

 

[fasthill]

Horner always stands, always. I never have, almost never seen Horner sit down on a climb.

What are you talking about? Go and watch stage 5 of Tirreno-Adriatico, he spent most of the last climb in the saddle. Just like any light climber, he can dance on the pedals more than most but he does not always stand on the pedals, it's just impossible on a long climb. Nor necessary.

 

[Wigwan]

Whe know he is clean, why?

When all the team admit to doping, but they all say that only Moncoutié and an other guy were not..

 

[Bavarianrider]

When all the team admit to doping, but they all say that only Moncoutié and an other guy were not..

Then why isn't he a serious contender now?

 

[Cancellator]

Then why isn't he a serious contender now?

I think there's an obvious answer to that question...

 

[Mellow Velo]

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.

The best example of "out the saddle" climbing I can recall, can be seen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SI-3EHMn9AM

Virenque 1997, over the Madeleine to the Courchevel summit.
Of course, it pre dates Festina and the authirs title says it all.

 

[meat puppet]

Doesn't Moncoutie also follow a self-imposed extremely strict liability with regard to supplements, medicine and so - ie he takes none? Or does my memory play tricks?

 

[theyoungest]

Then why isn't he a serious contender now?

Do you know anything at all about Moncoutié? He's an artist on the bike, he doesn't like the pressure of riding for GC. He's afraid of riding in the pack, mostly hangs at the back, and occasionally picks out a day to go on the attack (and mostly succesfully).

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Doesn't Moncoutie also follow a self-imposed extremely strict liability with regard to supplements, medicine and so - ie he takes none? Or does my memory play tricks?

http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?t=13082&highlight=moncoutie

.snip ..... Moncoutié, our dear International Prototype Meter....snip.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Doesn't Moncoutie also follow a self-imposed extremely strict liability with regard to supplements, medicine and so - ie he takes none? Or does my memory play tricks?

http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?t=13082&highlight=moncoutie

.snip ..... Moncoutié, our dear International Prototype Meter....snip.

 

[jens_attacks]

the best out of the saddle is richard virenque on col de la croix de chabouret time trial in '97.he's basically sprinting out of the saddle for half an hour.it's like froomy on steroids.

 

[hrotha]

http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?t=13082&highlight=moncoutie

I'm particularly proud of that post

 

[Bavarianrider]

Do you know anything at all about Moncoutié? He's an artist on the bike, he doesn't like the pressure of riding for GC. He's afraid of riding in the pack, mostly hangs at the back, and occasionally picks out a day to go on the attack (and mostly succesfully).

Still if he's the best climber ever, should he be able to set top times on mountains? Haven't seen him doing this so far

 

[airstream]

Honchar pedalled uphill relatively frequently, given his TT manner. Probably Gibo and Mancebo were (are) the most power climbers. Сontador is not so much different from anyone when it comes to overcoming of steep ramps. Very likely Cobo set the standart of an extremely steep climbing on Angliru. He passed 20% as if it was 8. )

 

[movingtarget]

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.

Evans is easy to spot, the way he swings the handlebars and is out of the saddle more than most people although in the TDF last year he seemed to be sitting more and riding smaller gears which is unusual for him. Horner and Evans are similar with time out of saddle but Horner has a more upright style, a bit unsusual while Evans is hunched over the bike more. Basso seems to be the opposite, he sits in the saddle more than most of the GC riders.

 

[BillytheKid]

Climbing 20 years ago, when I raced the most here, Indurian was a great influence. A higher cadence seated. The higher cadence work for me at 75 kilos, but I would do hill repeat sessions of 3-4 intervals of which one would be standing only on a 4-5k climb finishing at 8-9% at the top.

An alternating style is best for me or was, but I was in the school of Big Mig for stage races lie the Tour of Gila. I found it conserved the legs in the long run and I always seemed to improve over the most big gear guys toward the end.

I think Horner has the physique that allows him his style. I wonder if he does in some capacity as a defense against his lack of explosiveness. Does it gain him a second, half second, in response time when attacked?

 

[Fus087]

Still if he's the best climber ever, should he be able to set top times on mountains? Haven't seen him doing this so far

You're confusing graceful/stylish with physically best.
And apart from that, Moncoutié just doesn't care in most cases. If the weather is fair, he gets up with the right foot in the morning and has his favourite breakfast, he goes into the break, and wins more often than not.
If things don't go this way, he just rolls along.

 

[Angliru]

Still if he's the best climber ever, should he be able to set top times on mountains? Haven't seen him doing this so far

Only one person has said that Moncoutie is the "best climber ever" so it's best to direct your words of disbelief in that direction. Obviously for someone to say that considering the long history of the sport you'd have to just not take it seriously, unless you simply like to argue for sake of your own entertainment.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Still if he's the best climber ever, should he be able to set top times on mountains? Haven't seen him doing this so far

Notwithstanding the obvious clinic reason, most of Moncoutié's wins are from the breakaway. It's easier to set a top time when you've been kept in the safe confines of the péloton all day.

David Moncoutié is also 37 years old next month. By the time the péloton had cleaned up sufficiently he was past his physical peak.

The guy is a superb climber with excellent technique. He isn't the best climber in the world, but he may well be the best climber in the world who the vast majority of cycling fans are happy to agree is clean.

If he trained harder and was more willing to push the edge of science (within or without the rules) he'd be a much more successful bike rider... but he'd also be much less fun, entertaining or likable. David Moncoutié is a guy who just enjoys riding a bike, and that a guy like that has a career is one of the things that keeps my faith in the sport alive.

 

[Climbing]

Climbing styles... as many already said they do not really exist.
It depends on your body, weight, instinct and many other factors.
Sometimes the most horrorific guys to watch climbs the best, other times the smoother ones prevails.
In the long run with science of sport developing many experts claims that seated you're going to produce the best power results, which could be completely true.
That said, of course i'm not a pro, i like to climb seated with small gear but often i feel i need to get out of saddle to augment the speed with harder gear, then get back to small gear seated.
Remember that small gear and high cadence = you're going out of air if not prepader!

 

[RedheadDane]

Climbing styles... as many already said they do not really exist.

Or maybe there are as many styles as there are riders. After all, even Cippo had a climbing style of sorts, even if it was mainly retiring before getting to the mountains...