Sprinting
Sprinting
James says: “This session works on the two aspects of sprinting individually and then puts them together.
“The first sprints work on muscle power and torque production – how hard you can push on the pedals. The second sprints work on leg speed – how quickly you can turn the pedals. Both the first and the second set of sprints work on muscle activation and the number of muscle fibres that your body can fire at once – the more fibres the quicker and the stronger the force through the pedals.
“The aim of the third set of sprints is to put the two elements together and work on your sprinting speed. It is important to remember that sprinting isn’t only about pure power but also about technique. Work on sprinting as smoothly as possible and trying not to waste precious energy by moving your bike wildly from side to side.”
The training session – sprint drills
Twenty minutes warm up – a slow progression from zone one, through zone two, with the last five minutes in zone three
Five minutes easy (zone one/two)
4×15 second standing start sprints – use a gear that allows you to get off the line yet means that your cadence at the end of the effort doesn’t exceed 100rpm (suggestion is 53×17-19). Three minutes easy (zone one) between efforts
Ten minutes easy (zone one/two)
4×15 second cadence sprints – sprints from a rolling start (25-30kph) in a small gear where cadence exceeds 120rpm for the entire 15 seconds. Three minutes easy (zone one) between efforts
Ten minutes easy (zone one/two)
4×15 second max sprints – sprints from a rolling start (25-30kph) in a gear that means you can sprint as fast as possible for 15 seconds, feel free to shift down during these efforts. Three minutes easy (zone one) between efforts
Ten minutes cool down (zone one)
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