Watching the Tour of Flanders last weekend and then some highlights since, I’m fascinated by how some riders can take off alone after gaining what looks to be a relatively small bit of distance over a climb. Two examples would be Pogacar dropping van der Poel this weekend and Cancellara dropping Sagan in 2013. It’s not like they have anyone in front of them to catch their slipstream. Once they gain a few metres on a climb, these guys look unstoppable. What’s happening here?
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Breakaways at the top of a climb are a classic move. You may now be going into a downhill where bike control takes precedence over top speed, or where gravity somewhat compensates for air resistance so the fact that you are on you own is less of a burden than it would be on flat land. Also if you are in fact in better shape than them, it’s not ideal to make the extra effort to lose them on a climb, as it doesn’t buy much distance, so waiting til you are at the top to show what you’ve still got in the tank, you is a better strategy.
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