Originally Posted by terrymorse

This calls for some clarification:

Yes, acceleration requires more energy than maintaining a steady speed, but the cost of that acceleration is gained back by the decreased cost during deceleration.

There is a way to save the energy put into acceleration and feed it back. It's called kinetic energy. If you happen to be accelerating uphill, there's another type of stored energy: potential energy.

No, varying the speed on a climb does not waste energy. Unless you look at the secondary effects, like rolling resistance and wind drag. But for most climbing situations, you are simply converting pedaling energy into potential energy.

Pros climb with somewhat deep rim wheels, but not as deep as they use on faster stages. Pros climb fast, so reducing aero drag is more significant to them than saving a few grams. Not true for most of us less talented climbers, for whom weight is the most important thing.