I've been intrigued by the seemingly generally accepted notion that recumbents aren't particularly good for climbing.

Granted I have limited experience with them but from the ones I've ridden I certainly felt that they were quicker/faster and utilized the rider's energy more efficiently in all conditions than a 'standard' or 'upright' bike, whether it be for ergonomic or aerodynamic reasons or both. For instance, from personal experiences the acts of either climbing or sprinting while riding a 'bent seemed to be quicker and utilize less energy than if I were to get out of the saddle and stand on an upright bike. IMHO it seemed easier to use the backrest of a 'bent to push against for applying force to the pedals than standing up and supporting my weight to apply pressure to the pedals on an upright... basically the difference between exercising on a StairMaster rather than doing leg presses on a Universal... the former of which I dreaded and would kick my arse out of alignment on a regular basis back when I used to be masochistic ().

Could it be that an average rider can benefit, from what I perceive to be an efficiency advantage, of a recumbent and enable him/her to keep up with a faster group on the flats only to have that advantage relegate the rider to 'average' levels of what he/she could accomplish while riding an upright bike so that he/she no longer can keep up with the faster pack and hence have that result be wrongly perceived as an inefficiency of the bike rather than just a mere relegation of the rider to a level he/she would be at if he/she were riding an upright in the first place?

Put in simple terms, if that 'bent rider were on an upright, would he even be ahead of the pack to begin?

On a side note, on the occasions where free-spinning allowed me to relax a little, I felt more refreshed sitting in the Barcalounger position of a 'bent than I did hunched over drops of an upright (even while sitting on a beloved Brooks) and I think that also goes a long way in justifying why speed and endurance events seem to be done on a 'bent when they are allowed.

But hey, that just may be me over thinking things.