Comprehensive Climbers Ranking

[Peyresourde]

@Pozzovivo
Comparing one specific race to one other is not always easy or recommended. But if somebody does a good performance, you know it is good and normally that rider has the potential to repeat it in other races.

I would not say for certain that the Vuelta always has better performances. Maybe in pure w/kg because of the unipuerto-stages, but not with adjustments. It also depends on the weather, the participation and the route (sometimes there are simply not many suitable climbs). I would say:
2017 Giro>Vuelta
2020 Giro>Vuelta
2021+22 Giro=Vuelta

 

[Peyresourde]

Today we approach the Top 10. We have the best performances of Ullrich and Riis. Ullrich on Arcalis did the best altitude performance in history after a 7.5 hour stage (and he also had 2 more 99 performances that Tour that just did not make the list). In this kind of shape, he could have won every subsequent Tour against Pantani and Armstrong easily.

Then we have the highest raw Watts in a road stage ever on Flumserberg, although after an easy stage.

Berzin is the only rider other than Pantani and Pogacar to have more than 1 performance on the list. Even though he could not climb in the high mountains (except for the 94 Giro), he was amazing in time trials and short hills.

And a special mention to Hautacam 1994 (in my opinion much more shocking than Riis in 96). Indurain and Pantani did the first 100 performance in history that day without even winning the stage. That win went to Hautacam-specialist Luc Leblanc who outsprinted Indurain after drafting more (99 Performance).

11 | Jan Ullrich | 105 (+15): 6.75 W/kg for 34:52 on Andorra Arcalis (Tour 1997 Stage 10)
12 | Bjarne Riis | 104 (-4): 6.96 W/kg for 34:41 on Hautacam (Tour 1996 Stage 16)
13 | Marco Pantani | 103 (-7): 7.29 W/kg for 23:33 on Flumserberg (Suisse 1995 Stage 8)
14 | Miguel Indurain | 103 (-1): 6.86 W/kg for 35:21 on Hautacam (Tour 1994 Stage 11)
15 | Evgeni Berzin | 103 (0): 7.62 W/kg for 11:55 on Arrate Usartza (Euskal Bizikleta 1995 Stage 5)
16 | Tadej Pogacar | 103 (+9): 6.76 W/kg for 28:26 on Valmeinier Top (Dauphine 2025 Stage 7)
17 | Marco Pantani | 102 (-1): 6.83 W/kg for 35:37 on Hautacam (Tour 1994 Stage 11)

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Pogacar's Hautacam performance so low? W/kg were great, gaps were huge and stage difficulty (climbs and weather conditions) way bigger than during Riis' stage (while just 28 seconds slower). It shouldn't even be below Riis performance.

 

[tobydawq]

Berzin really seemed set to topple Induráin in the '95 Tour. I wonder what happened there. According to Wiki the reason for his DNF was no less than 'being physically demolished and mentally broken'.

 

[Peyresourde]

@Krzysztof_O
In the end of the day, Pogacar was 12 s faster than Indurain in 94. Keep in mind that there was a slight tailwind, hot temperatures (less air density) and of course 2025 equipment. The Watts were very good (but not great). I know that everyone was suffering in the heat, but it is impossible for me to adjust by +10 points for something like that. The performance still ranks around rank 25 all time in my list.
Also, as I have mentioned before, the first mountain stage sometimes randomly has huge gaps (La Plagne 95, Pierre Saint Martin 2015).

Berzin really seemed set to topple Induráin in the '95 Tour. I wonder what happened there. According to Wiki the reason for his DNF was no less than 'being physically demolished and mentally broken'.

Berzin does not have a single great performance on a longer climb in a road stage in his career. His best is probably Mortirolo in the 1994 Giro with 84(+2): 6.13 W/kg for 44:21. This kind of level did not cut in the 90s.
In 95 he also did the Giro, then Euskal Bizikleta without break and was the probably tired for the Tour.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

@Peyresourde How is 28 seconds gap behind Riis during a more difficult stage translated to 5 points? It seems too much. As for the weather, it was killing guys. The hotter doesn't mean the easier: air resistance is the least of your benefits during hot stages.

 

[Peyresourde]

Heat makes it more difficult to perform of course, but you are faster if you push the same watts.
I adjust Hautacam 2025 (35-36°C in the valleys) with +2 just for the temperature. Of course the real effect is probably much greater, but it is very difficult to estimate which is why I like to err on the side of caution. On other stages, similarily hot temperatures have also affected riders much less. This might also have to do with humidity and the temperature the days before. In the end, it is too complicated to estimate correctly for me.

Riis: 6.96 W/kg for 34:41
Raw Index: 108 Adjustment: -4 --> Final Index 104

Pogacar 6.71 W/kg for 35:09
Raw Index: 98 Adjustment: +1 --> Final Index 99

You do not have to take my numbers for gospel, there is always uncertainty in the data. But Riis had a much heavier bike and was faster, so I am 100% certain that he pushed significantly more watts. A difference of 0.25 W/kg equals exactly 10 points in my system and it is not like the '25 stage was the hardest in history (in fact it was more average or slightly harder than average).

 

[Pantani_lives]

Berzin really seemed set to topple Induráin in the '95 Tour. I wonder what happened there. According to Wiki the reason for his DNF was no less than 'being physically demolished and mentally broken'.

Evgeni Berzin remains one of the most enigmatic "future Tour winners". As a leader of the controversial Team Gewiss he crushed the opposition in Liège and the Giro in 1994, but afterwards he couldn't live up to the expectations. It has been said that he couldn't handle the transition from the rigorous Eastern Bloc system to the lifestyle of freedom in the West. In later years he struggled with his weight and lacked the discipline to stay in top shape. He became a classic example of an early peaker.