Climbing specialist (cycling)

A climbing specialist is a road bicycle racer who can ride especially well on highly inclined roads, such as those found among hills or mountains.

Types of climbers

Climbers tend to have a lot of endurance and specifically developed muscles for long hard climbs. They also tend to have a slim, lightweight physique, but some can become good climbers through concerted training. Ironically, many climbers are not very good descenders and many see their large time advantage diminished by the time they reach the bottom of a descent.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The most successful climbing specialists come in different shapes and specializations. Climbers with very small physique such as Roberto Heras (60 kg) and Gilberto Simoni (58 kg) thrive when the climbs reach dizzying heights and incredibly steep slopes where their low weight makes them more efficient and able to put in acceleration after acceleration. Their endurance also makes them good stage race specialists. Marco Pantani, champion of the 1998 Tour de France, could make attack after attack to break his opponents.

Related Topics:
Roberto Heras - Gilberto Simoni - Marco Pantani - 1998 Tour de France

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Other riders with similarly small physique but more power specialize in short but steep climbs, dubbed "sprinters hills". Examples include Paolo Bettini and Danilo DiLuca, who are able to sprint their way up the shorter climbs to win a stage or a single-day race. However, their lower endurance is a disadvantage in stage races where the climbs are usually longer, albeit at lower gradients. One fact that must be noted, however, is that many climbers cannot sprint very well.

Related Topics:
Paolo Bettini - Danilo DiLuca

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The last category of climbers is the breakaway specialist who can ride aggressively with many attacks and sustain their lead over the ascents, descents, and flats. Famous examples include Laurent Jalabert and Richard Virenque, both of whom earned their King of the Mountains jerseys in the Tour de France by day-long breakaways amassing the points at every summit. Most notably, Laurent Jalabert started his career as a sprinter but transformed himself into a different type of rider at the end of his career.

Related Topics:
Laurent Jalabert - Richard Virenque - Tour de France

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~