and physiology, see Swain, DP, Cycling: Uphill and Downhill . Bicycle technology Recent advances in bicycle components give the rider a wider range of gearing choices, allowing climbing specialists to use lower gears to ascend optimally while still having the higher gears necessary to keep up with other riders in the flatter sections. Legendary climbers of the past such as Lucien Van Impe had to ride out of the saddle pushing high gears for hours at a time; climbers today are better able to match their gearing to the challenge and climb at a more reasonable cadence. The current UCI minimum limit for the mass of bicycles is . Although many bike manufacturers can create bikes much lighter than this, the UCI deems this weight fair in the spirit of preserving the 'primacy of man' over his equipment. King of the Mountains in stage races Most stage races have a special category for the best climber, usually by awarding points at the important summits of the race. In the Tour de France for example, the best climber, or "King of the Mountains", is awarded a red polka dot jersey (French: maillot à pois rouges). In the Giro d'Italia the best climber is awarded a blue jersey (Italian: maglia azzurra). In the Vuelta a España the best climber is awarded a blue polka dot jersey. Examples of climbers Active riders Egan Bernal Chris Froome Rafał Majka Vincenzo Nibali Tadej Pogačar Nairo Quintana Jonas Vingegaard Richard Carapaz Former riders Lance Armstrong José Azevedo Federico Bahamontes Ivan Basso Gino Bartali Alberto Contador Fausto Coppi Charly Gaul Roberto Heras Luis Herrera Laurent Jalabert Julio Jiménez Marco Pantani Michael Rasmussen Joaquim Rodríguez Andy Schleck Gilberto Simoni Lucien Van Impe Richard Virenque References Further reading Owen Mulholland, John Wilcockson. Uphill Battle: Cycling's Great Climbers. VeloPress, 2003. Road bicycle racing terminology