Puncheurs can be well built, with broader shoulders and bigger legs than the average racing cyclist (able to produce high overall power over short time periods) - for example Wout van Aert (78kg) or Peter Sagan (78kg) or smaller, lighter riders (able to producer a higher power/weight ratio over that same time period) - for example Paolo Bettini (58kg) or Julian Alaphilippe (62kg).[4] The physique of this type of rider allows them to escape from the peloton through quick bursts, sometimes with the assistance of a teammate.
Examples of such racers include Paolo Bettini, Philippe Gilbert, Julian Alaphilippe, Alejandro Valverde, Simon Gerrans, Joaquim Rodríguez, Peter Sagan, Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel, who are able to sprint up the shorter climbs to win a stage or a single-day race. Often these racers have had a career in mountainbike or cyclocross racing, where there are many shorter but steep climbs. However, their lower endurance is a disadvantage in stage races where the climbs are usually longer (5–20km), albeit at lower gradients (5–10%). In stage races they often work as domestiques for team leaders, reeling in breakaways, or go on the attack to force rival teams to expend energy to close them down.[4]
Fiala, Lukáš (25 June 2020). Tour de France: Vliv geografických podmínek závodu a etap na výsledky nejlepších závodníků a jejich proměna v čase[Tour de France: The effects of the geographical features of the race and stages on the results of the best cyclists and their change over time] (Thesis) (in Czech). hdl:20.500.11956/118716.
The UCI Road World Championships Elite Men's Road Race is a one-day event for professional cyclists that takes place annually. The winner is considered the World Cycling Champion and earns the right to wear the Rainbow Jersey for a full year in road race or stage events. The event is a single 'mass start' road race with the winner being the first across the line at the completion of the full race distance. The road race is contested by riders organized by national cycling teams as opposed to commercially sponsored or trade teams, which is the standard in professional cycling.
A climbing specialist or climber, also known as a grimpeur, is a road bicycle racer who can ride especially well on highly inclined roads, such as those found among hills or mountains.
A sprinter is a road bicycle racer or track racer who can finish a race very explosively by accelerating quickly to a high speed, often using the slipstream of another cyclist or group of cyclists tactically to conserve energy.
The Giro di Lombardia, officially Il Lombardia, is a cycling race in Lombardy, Italy. It is traditionally the last of the five 'Monuments' of the season, considered to be one of the most prestigious one-day events in cycling, and one of the last events on the UCI World Tour calendar. Nicknamed the Classica delle foglie morte, it is the most important Autumn Classic in cycling. The race's most famous climb is the Madonna del Ghisallo in the race finale.
Julian Alaphilippe is a French professional road cyclist, former cyclo-cross racer and two-time UCI World Road Champion, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Soudal–Quick-Step. He is the brother of racing cyclist Bryan Alaphilippe.
Wout van Aert is a Belgian professional road and cyclo-cross racer who rides for UCI WorldTeam Team Jumbo–Visma. Van Aert is a three-time winner of the men's race at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships, having won in consecutive years in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
The 2015 La Flèche Wallonne was the 79th edition of the La Flèche Wallonne one-day cycling classic; it took place on 22 April and was the twelfth race of the 2015 UCI World Tour. La Flèche Wallonne was the second of the three Ardennes classics, coming three days after the Amstel Gold Race and four days before Liège–Bastogne–Liège. The defending champion in the race was Alejandro Valverde.
The 2015 Liège–Bastogne–Liège was a one-day cycling classic that took place in the Belgian Ardennes on 26 April 2015. It was the 101st edition of the Liège–Bastogne–Liège one-day cycling race and was the fourth cycling monument of the 2015 season. It was part of the 2015 UCI World Tour and was organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), the organisers of the Tour de France.
The 2016 La Flèche Wallonne was a one-day cycling classic that took place on 20 April 2016. It was the 80th edition of La Flèche Wallonne and the twelfth race of the 2016 UCI World Tour. It was the second of the three Ardennes classics, coming after the Amstel Gold Race and before the Liège–Bastogne–Liège.
The 2016 Liège–Bastogne–Liège was a one-day classic cycling race that took place on 24 April 2016. It was the fourth cycling monument of the 2016 season and was the thirteenth event of the 2016 UCI World Tour. The race came at the end of the spring classics season.
The 2019 Tour de France was the 106th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's three Grand Tours. The 3,365.8 km (2,091 mi)-long race consisted of 21 stages, starting in the Belgian capital of Brussels on 6 July, before moving throughout France and concluding on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on 28 July. A total of 176 riders from 22 teams participated in the race. The overall general classification was won for the first time by a Latin American rider, Egan Bernal of Team Ineos. His teammate and 2018 Tour winner Geraint Thomas finished second while Steven Kruijswijk came in third.
Tadej Pogačar is a Slovenian professional cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam UAE Team Emirates. He won the 2020 and 2021 editions of the Tour de France, winning three different jerseys during each Tour, a feat unseen in nearly four decades. Comfortable in time-trialing, one-day classic riding and grand-tour climbing, he has been compared to legendary all-round cyclists such as Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Fausto Coppi.
The 2020 Tour de France was the 107th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's three Grand Tours. Originally scheduled to start on 27 June 2020, it was postponed until 29 August 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in France. The race began in Nice on 29 August and concluded with its traditional run on the Champs-Élysées on 20 September. A total of 176 riders from 22 teams participated in the race. The overall general classification was won for the first time by a Slovenian, Tadej Pogačar of UAE Team Emirates. His fellow countryman Primož Roglič finished second, while Australian Richie Porte (Trek–Segafredo) came third.
The 2021 Tour de France was the 108th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's three grand tours. Originally planned for the Danish capital of Copenhagen, the start of the 2021 Tour was transferred to Brest because of the COVID-19 pandemic, with Copenhagen hosting four matches in the UEFA Euro 2020, which had also been rescheduled to 2021 because of the pandemic. Originally scheduled for 2 to 25 July 2021, the Tour was moved to 26 June to 18 July 2021 to avoid the rescheduled 2020 Summer Olympics. This would have been the first occasion on which the Tour de France had visited Denmark. Denmark instead hosted the Grand Départ in 2022.
The 2019 Tour de France was the 106th edition of Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Tour began in Brussels, Belgium, with a flat stage on 6 July, and Stage 11 occurred on 17 July with a flat stage to Toulouse. The race finished on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on 28 July.
The 2020 Tour de France was the 107th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Tour began in Nice with a hilly stage on 29 August, and Stage 11 occurred on 9 September with a flat stage to Poitiers. The race finished on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on 20 September.
The 2020 Tour de France is the 107th edition of Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Tour began in Nice with a hilly stage on 29 August, and Stage 12 occurred on 10 September with a hilly stage from Chauvigny. The race finished on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on 20 September.
The 2021 Milan–San Remo was a road cycling one-day race that took place on 20 March 2021 in northwestern Italy. It was the 112th edition of the Milan–San Remo cycling classic. Originally the eighth event on the 2021 UCI World Tour calendar, it became the sixth event after the cancellation of the Tour Down Under and the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race.
The 2021 Tour de France was the 108th edition of Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Tour began in Brest, France on 26 June, and Stage 11 from Sorgues to Malaucène occurred on 7 July. The race finished on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on 18 July.
The 2022 Tour de France was the 109th edition of the Tour de France. It started in Copenhagen, Denmark on 1 July 2022 and ended with the final stage on the Champs-Élysées, Paris on 24 July 2022. Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard won the general classification for the first time. Two-time defending champion Tadej Pogačar finished in second place, and former winner Geraint Thomas finished third. This was the first Tour since 1989 in which each of the three podium finishers had made the podium on a previous occasion.
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