[SouthParkRepublican]

I’d became a Horner fan after the wreck he had during the TDF where he climbed back on his bike and finished the stage. They had him on a stretcher in the finish area and the camera picked him up asking if he had finished the race. That’s an insane level of conditioning.

Watching his attacks on the summit finishes at the Vuelta had me on my feet cheering at the TV. Nice to see someone my age kick like that!

[Baynative]

In the Vuelta he won a stage and was off the front on the final climb, most of which he rode out of the saddle. The long standing rule of climbing has always been to stay in the saddle, hands on top of the bars and conserve every bit of energy possible.

But Horner's style of using a few more gear inches and getting on top of them with some weight has served him well. A friend of mine used to copy that and could shed chasers like crazy. He'd get out of the saddle and people would treat it like an attack and use some fuel to catch his wheel, then relax thinking they'd reeled him in. But, he'd stay up and keep churning that bigger gear as he dropped them one by one.

I was never a good climber, but I'm a big guy and that technique helped me. Sadly, I learned it too late.