Sprints: Sprinting Technique

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@kellynoelharman here is a screen shot of my sprints in 3 different scenarios. As you can see, the power shoots up very quickly. Being able to sprint like this is a function of the following:

  • Quick shifting to the gear that provides the right amount of resistance to be able to accelerate quickly and forcefully when sprinting
  • High cadence while sprinting
  • Shifting mid-sprint as needed to keep tension in the chain for the whole sprint
  • Proper body position - hands in the drops, chest over the handle bars, pushing down and pulling up on the pedals
  • Being able to generate high power and high torque

I must mention that Rider Type plays a role here too. I am an explosive rider, so my fast-twitch muscles provide an extra advantage. To give you an idea, I am able to get up to my max power in 2-3 seconds from the start of the sprint (you can see my power is like a straight line up). Not everyone is like that. Slow-twitch dominant riders take a bit longer to ramp up, but are usually able to hold that top power longer. Strength training has helped me being able to sustain the power longer for the duration of the sprint- because my tendency is to shoot up high fast then fade.

But regardless of Rider Type, everyone can improve their sprints by practicing the techniques mentioned above and by developing their top-end power in workouts.

Scenario 1: from a 4 min effort at low threshold (about 95% of FTP):

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Scenario 2: from speed at lower power

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Scenario 3: from a stop with one foot on the ground (race starts)

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Thank you. This information is helpful. I need to work on my shifting at the beginning and mid-sprint, and my fading power levels after the initial burst. My body position is improving.

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@kellynoelharman you can do it. Iā€™m finally getting it but Iā€™m a slow learner.

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For standing, the ideal position is chest over the handlebars and hands in the drops, but it takes time and training to get there, like everything else.

indoors:

outdoors:

On a hill, if it is steep, you would instead have your hands in the hoods, but chest still over the handlebars.

Notice in the videos that I hold myself with my core (and not my arms) and drop my weight on the pedals. When we did the live workout in Feb, I noticed many of you supporting your weight with your arms.

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In the drops??!! I have definitely not been paying attention and have been doing it wrong, all this time!! New goal.
-Angie

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@Coach_Theia - I tried the Sprint technique in the drops and chest over the front hub at the end of the Threshold Development II workout, plus some endurance, so it was after almost 2 hours and I got 2nd from the TOW Womenā€™s event. Canā€™t wait to try it out when Iā€™m more fresh! :boom: Iā€™m loving putting all of these pieces together!
-Angie

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Hi @Coach_Theia - my question for lost in the shuffle. Itā€™s it just as awkward for you to shift from the drops while standing, as it was for me? Any way to adjust that technique? It feels like I havenā€™t quite got it down.
-Angie

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@adm0629 The best way to go about this is to practice shifting mid-sprint at slower speeds, in the hoods, to work on technique. By doing that you will start to get a better feel of timing- you need to let the power off the pedals ever so slightly when you shift.

I always shift during a sprint- once, twice or even three times depending on the length of the sprint, and always in the drops. Unless the sprint is uphill, in which case I might not shift. But when I first started training for/practicing sprints, I didnā€™t do this. Itā€™s a progressionā€¦ First you learn to stand in the proper body position in the hoods > then in the drops > then you are able to get to high rpms (leg speed) > then shift during the sprint.

But it also depends on whether you run out of gears/need more torque during a sprint, when you feel you are losing power/momentum/ getting spun out. The issue with doing most of the shifting before the sprint is that it will take you longer to reach a high number, and the initial ā€œjumpā€ wonā€™t be as quick. This is important when outdoors more so than in Zwift.

Leg speed (high rpms) is just as important as high power for sprints. Slow-twitch dominant riders are not able to sprint in the same way as fast-twitch dominant riders when it comes to jump and speed, however they can train and greatly improve their sprint ability. But these riders are also advised to do an earlier breakaway or longer surge and not wait for a bunch sprint where theyā€™d be competing with the true sprinters during a race.

It takes time and a LOT of practice. Have you practiced sprinting outside too or only on Zwift? Sprinting on Zwift is definitely harder. Watch this video comparing sprinting in Zwift vs. outside (conclusion at 4 min into the video)- I agree with his conclusion 100%.

Lastly, below is the detail of a sprint I did on Sunday outdoors in a crit simulation.

I pick up speed to 110 rpms before entering the sprint, then start the sprint at 90 rpms, get up to 104 rpms, then shift 2 more times but my cadence never goes below 97 rpms. You can see the little drops in cadence where I shifted.

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The intersection of the blue line (cadence) and pink line (speed) is where I shifted for the first time since starting the sprint, at 29.5 mph and 100 rpms, then I shifted again thereafter to end the sprint at 32 mph and 97 rpms. All in the drops.

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So you might not get to the same exact rpms standing in the drops, but this gives you an idea of how much acceleration is involved.

Again, it takes time and one step/skill at a time. Master one, move onto the next. It has taken me a long time to get to this.

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This is such good stuff - thank you so much for the thorough response! I have only practiced sprinting on Zwift. I will definitely try it the next time Iā€™m outside on a bike with drops. Iā€™m absolutely a slow twitch freight train athlete so I will keep in mind your tip about the long surge. Great to know itā€™s harder in Zwift. I definitely feel when itā€™s time to shift and I do lessen the load slightly so that it shifts cleanly and the transition is smoother. Iā€™ll keep practicing shifting in the drops!
PS - Iā€™m amazed that guy in the video races Zwift with glasses on!
-Angie

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Awesome! Iā€™m gonna practice more when Iā€™m outside to get the feel of it in the hoods first, then the drops!
Thanks Coach Theia really helpful info!

Ronyii

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Whatā€™s the difference between slow and fast twitch? How do you know which you are?

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@gosimrr we all have Type I and Type II (IIA and IIB) muscle fibers. However, some of us have predominantly one type over the other. The only 100% accurate way to find out is through muscle biopsy.

This is a great resource:

Type I , or slow-twitch, generate less power and strength than fast-twitch fibers, but they have can sustain activity for longer. The cells within these muscles excel at clearing waste and using oxygen as fuel and, within the muscles, thereā€™s a high-density of capillaries, which helps bring blood to the muscles. These are the riders that excel (and prefer) at time trials, climbing, and long-distance riding.

Type II, or fast-twitch generate far more power and strength, but they fatigue much faster and require more time for recovery. These are the sprinters, puncheurs, and track racers.

During exercise, you fire your Type I fibers before your Type II (unless youā€™re an Olympic-level athlete). And while you can change the composition of your muscle fibers to some extent, it is primarily determined by your genetics.

Also, we all lose Type II fibers as we age. Similarly, if we only train the aerobic system (and skip those anaerobic, top-end intervals), we lose Type II even more. In fact, Type II can get converted into Type I if we donā€™t stimulate it. The way to maintain Type II as we age is through high intensity workout and weight lifting. Plyometrics help too.

Using myself as an example, Iā€™d rather be doing red zone intervals all day long (hard, recover, hard, recover). Ask me to do a long ride or long interval at threshold and I am about ready to die. I would probably be more successful doing a power-based sport than an endurance sport.

Other ways to determine your muscle fiber type:

  • Find your one rep max (e.g., deadlift) for an isolation exercise for that muscle group.
  • Take 80% of the one rep max weight and do as many reps as possible.
  • If you can do only 4 to 7 reps with it, you have mostly Fast Twitch fibers in that muscle. (this is me!!! I actually have this data and it is accurate too the %)
  • Around ten reps is the typical mix for a muscle.
  • Doing 15 to 20 or more reps will be mostly Slow Twitch fibers.
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@Gossimrr - Iā€™ve been a triathlete longer than a cyclist and have raced enough races at all distances to know that my strengths are pancake flat to small rollers because I can crank out consistent medium high power for the duration. Even at the velodrome, my best events were pursuit/team pursuit or team time trials, on the road. Ask me to sprint to the line though, and I just donā€™t have enough of those types to recruit. I think I get by in cyclocross mostly from bike handling because if you throw any hills in there that I would need to sustain high w/kg for a longer duration, Iā€™m toast. What Theia said. :laughing:
-Angie

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Geat information.

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@adm0629 that makes sense considering you are a triathlete. To me thatā€™s an endurance sport. Steady steady in all the sports.

@Coach_Theia that was a good read. I see you work on all our fibers in the workouts. I can see that some of my type I fibers have been developed, but give me a crit or short flat TT on Zwift and Iā€™m in heaven. Hate those long stages and I rmemebr the few races I did IRL, one was 36 miles. I finished but hated every moment after mile 28!

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Iā€™ve really been enjoying following this thread. We have a similar FTP @Coach_Theia but I will never hit those sprint numbers that you have no matter how good my technique. But then you wonā€™t ride 930 miles in 9 days. Fast twitch v. slow twitch. Neither one is better than the other, just different. I assume we naturally gravitate to the kind of riding we are best at though itā€™s always fun to mix it up now and then.

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Yes, @Stefanie I agree! Although itā€™s probably easier for you to mix up a few seconds sprints here and there than for me to sprinkle in a couple 100 milers :rofl: In any case, what matters at the end of the day is that we do what we love!! Cycling is supposed to bring joy!!

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Temperament is important, too. I donā€™t like head to head competition, I donā€™t like feeling like i am going to crash in a fast moving pack, and I am not fast enough to join the local crits even if i wanted to do so. I have spent all of my riding career doing endurance training despite not being a natural endurance cyclist. The non-competitive events tend to be long, so i have done the longer events. zwift has been a game changer. I can sprint to my heartā€™s delight on Zwift and never crash. I have never sprinted irl and i have no plans ever to do so, but i love zwift for opening that opportunity. My technique for zwift sprints still sucks, but i am having fun trying to get better.

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Finally pushed my sprint watts over 700 today in the workout. And Zwift crashedā€¦. Got my badge though :joy:
Canā€™t wait to get riding more outside. Road and mountain bike. Still not sure how our events are going to go around here this summer.

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I did team crit practice today and that of course included sprints. Here are 2 videos of the sprints.

This was a longer sprint. I am the farthest from the camera:

This was a shorter sprint, I am the closest to the camera:

And yes, I ā€œwonā€ both times. The screen shot isnā€™t great, but look at my position here - look how I am low (aero) and all the way over the handlebars:

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