From Flat Roads to Steep Slopes: The Impossible Dream of Being a Sprinting Climber

Here’s a riddle for you: what’s heavy, fast, and climbs like a goat?

Answer: not you.

That’s what makes this dream impossible, but don’t you love it anyway?

You’ve got your sprinters, the bulging muscles and the thighs that could crush a watermelon.

And then you’ve got your climbers, all sinewy and light, whizzing up mountains like ants on a mission.

So, can you be both?

Can you crush flat roads like a sprinter and conquer mountains like a climber?

Well, buckle up, this is going to get real messy, and we’ll probably end up with a laughable result.

1. The Power-Hungry Sprinter vs. The Featherweight Climber

The truth is, you can’t have it all.

We all dream of being the jack of every cycling trade, but sprinters and climbers are built differently.

Sprinters need raw, explosive power. That means muscle mass. That means weight, and a lot of it.

A world-class sprinter is usually around 80-90kg. Now, contrast that with a climber who needs to be lighter to survive the steep slopes.

The best climbers are around 60kg. You can’t have a body designed to do both.

You can’t be both a brick and a feather.

2. Max Power vs. Sustained Effort

When you’re sprinting, it’s all about maxing out for a few seconds.

Those bursts are all fast-twitch muscle fibers, the ones you build with short, intense efforts.

Climbing, on the other hand, is about staying power, the ability to go steady for hours, climbing at a sustainable pace.

The magic of climbing comes from that ratio of weight to power—better known as watts per kilogram (w/kg).

With sprinters being heavier and building more explosive power, they don’t have the same endurance reserves as climbers. It’s the difference between a firecracker and a marathoner.

3. Wout Van Aert, The Freak Show

Wout Van Aert is a freak, and I mean that in the best possible way. He’s a sprinter’s nightmare and a climber’s nightmare.

The dude weighs about 75kg (not exactly light) but can hang with the best climbers in the world.

He’s the best you’ll get, but don’t get any crazy ideas.

Even the king of versatility has his limits. There’s no way he’s going to beat Pogacar in the Alps, but he can keep up and—if the stars align—he might even drop the sprinters.

4. The One-Dimensional Stars

Ask yourself, what makes the best sprinters so good?

They’re like bulldozers in tights, with a laser focus on power output.

They live for the flat roads and brief, heart-pounding bursts of speed.

Now think about climbers: their beauty is in the endless grind, the constant push of the pedals, the relentless climb to the top.

Can anyone do both? Sure, but there’s always a compromise.

Look at Pogacar. He’s great, no doubt, but he’s no pure sprinter. He can sprint well enough to win against climbers but can’t take down the big boys on a flat stage.

5. Some Say It’s Possible… Sort Of

There are the dreamers. They say it’s possible to be good at both. Take Bernard Hinault, who could both climb and sprint with the best of them. But that was back in the 80s.

Nowadays, it’s harder than ever to juggle these two completely different skills.

You could be decent at both—like Pogacar or Valverde—but you’ll never be the king of either discipline.

At best, you become that all-arounder who’s always “close but no cigar.”

6. Training for Two: A Fool’s Journey

So, what’s the secret?

How do you even attempt to balance sprinting power with climbing endurance?

It’s a training circus, that’s what. You need a balance of heavy, explosive work on the flats and endless, boring hours in the saddle climbing hills.

You’ll be pumping out intervals like a madman and then pushing your legs for hours on end.

One day you’ll feel like a beast, and the next, you’ll feel like a bag of bricks. But remember, you’re only training to be decent at both—not great.

You can’t peak in both areas at the same time. Your body will pick one to specialize in; it’s up to you which side wins.

7. The Reality: If You’re Not Specialized, You’re Not Winning

Here’s the cold hard truth: if you’re a jack-of-all-trades, you’re the master of none.

The best sprinters are just too powerful to stay with climbers. The best climbers are just too light and too lean to power through a flat finish.

And the general consensus?

If you want to win a race, you better pick one. You want to climb? Get lighter. You want to sprint? Bulk up.

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Table 1: Sprinter vs. Climber Stats

Stat	Sprinter (e.g., Van Aert)	Climber (e.g., Pogacar)
Weight	75-90 kg	60-65 kg
Watts per kg	High, explosive	Moderate, sustainable
Power Output	Short, explosive bursts	Steady endurance
Climbing Ability	Moderate	Exceptional
Sprinting Ability	Exceptional	Moderate

Table 2: Training Balance for Both

Type of Training	For Sprinting	For Climbing
Power Intervals	Short bursts, high-intensity	Moderate intensity, high reps
Endurance Work	Low reps, fast cadence	Long hours, steady effort
Recovery	Active recovery with light spin	Active recovery with light spin

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Conclusion: The Fantasy’s End

If you’re still dreaming of winning on the flats and shredding mountains, I’ve got news for you. Even Pogacar isn’t winning the Tour de France and crushing the sprint stages. Sure, you can be good at both, but “good” doesn’t get you a place on the podium. Specialization is the game.

But hey, you want to keep dreaming? Go ahead. You might get a few local races under your belt and feel like a champ. But don’t go imagining yourself as the next Eddy Merckx or Valverde. The cold, unflinching truth is that you’re chasing two ghosts—one on a hill and the other in the wind.

And maybe that’s the best part. You’ll never catch either of them—but at least you’ll have the thrill of the chase.