Someone like Romain Bardet takes his gloves off when approaching a mountain to climb (ascending):
- save weight?
- style?
- shows he means business, wants to attack the hill?
- less likely to have a hard fall when ascending a big mountain due to slower speed (where as descending a mountain pro cyclists go very fast)?
That's my theory for pro's
There is a beauty of course being able to ride a bike with no change of clothes at all, no helmet, lycra etc or gloves. That can give a wonderful sense of freedom, that at anypoint one can hop on a bike, ride it, and off and do another activity.
As a young boy I was taught gloves are more important than a helmet, because you naturally protect your head in an accident with your hands. Now this isn't carte blanche, but there is some truth in it I think
Non-sweaty palmers - what protects your hands when you come off then?