It’s not surprising that after his attack at the end of the 16th stage of the Vuelta a España, no other rider in the breakaway was able to keep up with him. According to the website Lantern Rouge, which calculates precise power-to-weight ratios used by cyclists, Jonas Vingegaard’s performance was one of the most powerful in the history of cycling.
According to the website, Jonas Vingegaard executed one of the best “subidas unipuerto” (a relatively short climb at the end of a flat stage) of all time.
Vingegaard took 13 minutes and 11 seconds to complete the climb. According to Lantern Rouge’s numbers, he did this with a power output of no less than 7.4 watts per kilogram. Finn Fisher Black (6.9 w/kg) was second, 43 seconds behind, with Wout Poels right behind him. The group of riders in the peloton with overall classification contenders finished just over a minute behind and climbed at approximately 6.65 watts per kilogram.
What does 7.4 w/kg mean?
7.4 watts per kilogram is a huge number – Vingegaard weighs around 60 kilograms, so he maintained 444 watts during the climb in absolute terms. The website goes even further in emphasizing the significance of these numbers, considering Vingegaard’s climbing season to be one of the best in history, comparable only to the performance of Marco Pantani.