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I thought it was slightly the opposite of this (bit about pro's choice). More riders are choosing aero over lightweight for climbing as the weight saving vs the reduction in drag favours a more aerodynamic bike. Also, a lot of pros using aero frames on the spring classics now that wider tyres and lower pressures are the trend.
roboto-
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I still see a lot more light frames Vs pure aero in the teams where there's a choice of two decent bikes. See Canyon, Trek, Cannondale, Merida.
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Yes, it depends how much time is being spent at certain gradients and on what terrain they expect the race to be won.
A few big brands have now combined or are combining aero and lightweight, though, so the decision no longer needs to be made.
Still, I’d really like to see what a 5.5kg UCI weight limit would do to the industry. Hoops said the next gen DA will retain rim brakes, which is very interesting. That leads me to believe that race bikes will have a calliper model again in the future (many don’t in this generation). Surely Shimano wouldn’t do this if they thought race bikes would continue to be disc only, as their product lifecycles are three years AFAICT.
(Missed this entire page when I wrote the above. Whoops.)
amey
Netakure
snoops
It doesn't make any difference at the speed most people ride. Even the pros mostly ride in the lighter option given the chance, probably because these big aero seatposts aren't very comfortable.