Spiderman photo: G. Watson
How can anyone be such a great cyclist and look so ungainly on a bike? Does this not violate a basic tenet of V-philosophy? Would he not be faster if his knees and elbows were tucked in neatly, aligned with his forward motion?
On riding style alone Quintana has a huge edge, he just looks good as he climbs. He should be able to summon some extra V just on the looking-good-is-feeling-good-factor.
Pinot versus Bardet: Pinot always looks like he is in a fight with his bike on the uphills. Again, wouldn’t less fighting and more souplesse translate into more speed? Like Tommy ‘man of a thousand faces’ Voeckler, his climbing style of off the back, sprint forward, out of the saddle, jersey open, drift off the back again…and repeat. It makes no sense but the guy gets it done.
Looking good on the rivet on the flats is easier: a flat back, everything tucked in, body pulled low over the bike, almost everyone looks pretty awesome going hard when the terrain is level. Put the road into double digit ascent and everything comes off the rails. One’s inner climbing monkey comes out and some monkeys just look better than others. It’s not a reflection of inner beauty or Hardness or a life more cleanly lived. To paraphrase Don ‘puddin’ face’ Rumsfeld, you climb with the monkey you got, not the climbing monkey you wish you had.
My monkey is a slothie, sweaty old beast with one paw in the grave. It’s always been my monkey and we have become good friends. Froome’s is a Sumatran spider monkey, hopped up on a diet of buffo toads and fermented bananas. When that monkey appears, everyone better get out of the way.
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Froomey's not so much a monkey as a giraffe at a watering hole.
We call Coppi a spider because of his similar build, but at least the mofo looked PHENOMMMM on a bike. He knew what plane to keep those knees and elbows on. Sit back, reach out, and let the limbs spin.
For what it's worth, Merckx looks great climbing... in still photos. But put that picture in motion? It looked like he was built with rubber bones. I get that he was rolling all the toothpaste out of the tube in every stroke, but damn it looks ungainly. The only thing saving that visual from total catastrophe was his white socks. (Scientific fact, bitches. Look it up.)
Museeuw on the other hand? Lovely to watch on any terrain.
'almost everyone looks pretty awesome going hard when the terrain is level.'
'Put the road into double digit ascent and everything comes off the rails.'
in my defence the last major climb in a tough race, 70km in, 60km still to go!
https://www.strava.com/activities/275133930
Perhaps, you can ask him the question about being faster with elbows tucked when you're riding next to him in some climb. If not, who gives a flying f&@$?!
what's next, having the right haircut?
@Zman
+1
@Caad10NL
Yeah, that sounds about right. I'm not making into anyone's VSP picks. That's for sure.
@Zman
Been there, discussed that.
Froome's arms are just too long for his body, I'm sure Sky will have investigated getting them shortened :-) . Furthermore, I think Cav's are a bit on the short side which helps with aerodynamic sprinting.
@litvi
That's GOLD! An he's from Kenya too.
@Zman
Ask Marcel Kitel.
@piwakawaka
Your climbing monkey monkey looks just like your haul ass monkey. Well done.