The mountain men
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While professional cyclists are secretive about their power to weight figures, Chris Froome and Alberto Contador will both be over 6w/kg (Pic: Sirotti)
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Rafal Majka won two stages as he was crowned Tour de France King of the Mountains (pic: Sirotti)
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Chris Froome showed his climbing class despite an injury-hit season (pic: Sirotti)
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Vincenzo Nibali was in a league of his own at the Tour de France (pic: Sirotti)
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Nairo Quintana climbed with apparent ease at the Giro d'Italia as he claimed the maglia rosa on Val Martello (pic: Sirotti)
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Alberto Contador never finished lower than second in the stage races he completed in 2014 (pic: Sirotti)
The mountain men
The battles that took place on the slopes of some of cycling’s most infamous climbs were as fierce as they come in 2014.
While Nairo Quintana (Movistar) and Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) may have won the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France with some of their chief rivals injured or missing from the race, both still faced stiff competition to be crowned champion of their respective races.
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On the other hand, Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) won the Vuelta a Espana against one of the strongest line-ups the Spanish Grand Tour has ever seen, with Quintana (until he crashed out), Chris Froome (Team Sky), Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) all present and correct.
The WorldTour’s best climbers have a special place in the eyes of fans thanks to their awe-inspiring talent when the road ramps skyward, so having already brought you the five best sprinters of the season, part two of our Year in Review looks at the grimpeurs who caught our eye.