Who was the last pure climber

[ebikeerwidnes]

The thing that gets me about 'pure climbers' is that most of them don't seem to win many mountain stages. The majority of them get blown away by GC contenders unless they've been let off the leash to get a head start.
Ok, for some of them, they're there to service a GC rider but for a lot of them, climbing seems to be the thing they're least worst at.

Yes - I have noticed that nowadays

it seems like the technique laid down for being a "proper climber" was just not that efficient
and the GC technique of keeping within limits and slowly catching them up became dominant because it works better

SOme proper climbers - such as the Yates boys - have managed to take on the concepts and combine them to some extent
Hence Simon's recent success

but they still look like proper climbers bouncing up and won on the pedals while other sit there spinning


aesthetically I much prefer the old bouncing style
but watching Froome at his peak showed that it would never work against a top GC contender

 

[Webbo2]

Yes I was reading the first page and liked a few posts... Until I saw the date.

I do wonder what the all - time record is. Not done deliberately I mean.
@Moderators, do we know?

With the rider or the thread?

Neither they suggested Messner and there are greater rock climbers and mountaineers these days.

 

[MadMalx]

Andy Scleck couldn’t descend or TT (but was Lux national TT champion) but won 2010 TdF (retrospectively).

 

[cyberknight]

Andy Scleck couldn’t descend or TT (but was Lux national TT champion) but won 2010 TdF (retrospectively).

i was thinking of him too

 

[mididoctors]

Any one mentioned Kuss?

 

[No Ta Doctor]

Any one mentioned Kuss?

Good call actually. Not least because it's the exception that proves the rule of my theory that any "pure climber" worth his salt would polish up his TT to be a GC rider. Bt Kuss is just too chilled to want the hassle.

 

[phreak]

Any one mentioned Kuss?

You could probably say Bardet is a pure climber, as is Lenny Martinez. Probably the Yates' too. Even the much maligned Hugh Carthy.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Good call actually. Not least because it's the exception that proves the rule of my theory that any "pure climber" worth his salt would polish up his TT to be a GC rider. Bt Kuss is just too chilled to want the hassle.

So we're kind of re-framing "pure climber" as "can climb but rubbish TT-er" because TT ability would make them impure. Nairo? Pinot?

Or, of course, le Grimpeur Philosophe himself, Guillaume Martin

(Yes I know the OP specified they should have won the tour. But the OP was 18 years ago so nuts to that).

 

[Legs]

Carlos Sastre?

 

[No Ta Doctor]

So we're kind of re-framing "pure climber" as "can climb but rubbish TT-er" because TT ability would make them impure. Nairo? Pinot?

Or, of course, le Grimpeur Philosophe himself, Guillaume Martin

(Yes I know the OP specified they should have won the tour. But the OP was 18 years ago so nuts to that).

Well if they can climb and TT then they're GC riders, not pure climbers, surely?

I understood "pure climber" to be a grimpeur, dancing on their pedals on the high and steep slopes, blown backwards by the slightest gust of headwind on the flat. TBH I completely missed the OP's question as I haven't even been here 6 months yet and didn't read back through the thread....

If pure climbers can also TT, then I guess it's a style thing mainly? Lightweight and standing on the pedals? Could argue for Vingegaard there.

 

[Jameshow]

Me...🤣🤣🤣

Cain't decend for toffee!

 

[phreak]

Well if they can climb and TT then they're GC riders, not pure climbers, surely?

I understood "pure climber" to be a grimpeur, dancing on their pedals on the high and steep slopes, blown backwards by the slightest gust of headwind on the flat. TBH I completely missed the OP's question as I haven't even been here 6 months yet and didn't read back through the thread....

If pure climbers can also TT, then I guess it's a style thing mainly? Lightweight and standing on the pedals? Could argue for Vingegaard there.

We should probably rule out Basso, as by his own admission he was a climbing rouleur. Perhaps in the mould of an Almeida and other diesels of yore.