Puncher
A puncher is a type of driver in road bike races , other types of drivers are, for example, the roller , the sprinter or the climber. The puncher has particular strengths in undulating terrain and is often also a strong sprinter. The term is derived from the identical French term for a craftsman, a hallmark performs, and the Anglizismus puncher , for "beat", "Mark" or "punzieren". At the beginning of the 20th century these were the usual meanings of words.
Ideal races for punchers are many of the one-day races in spring, which are characterized by the fact that they have many short, crisp climbs (10–20% gradient at around 1–2 km in length). Well-known races in this category are, for example, the Tour of Flanders , Liège – Bastogne – Liège , the Walloon Arrow and the Amstel Gold Race .
The puncher can gain a decisive advantage with his extreme acceleration on the inclines or tear the peloton apart as a helper for his team . In contrast to the pure climber, his physique does not allow him to maintain this strength on a long ascent (5–10% incline at around 5–20 km in length) in the high mountains.
Well-known puncheurs are for example Alexander Winokurow , Philippe Gilbert , Paolo Bettini or Davide Rebellin .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Étienne Blanchard: Dictionnaire de bon langage , Librairie Vic et Amat, Paris 1914, Lemmata Puncher und Puncheur, -euse .
- ↑ a b c Martin Henkel: Visiting the old lady . In: Berliner Zeitung , April 27, 2009, online , accessed on February 16, 2014.
- ↑ without author: Philippe Gilbert wins . In: Luzerner Tageblatt , April 24, 2011, online , accessed on February 16, 2014.
- ↑ cf. cyclingnews.com: It's good to have a puncheur like Paolo Bettini , accessed on March 2, 2014
