Sprint length (mine is to short)

I have a super short all out sprint and that’s not great as a American because most races a crits for long sprints besides sprinting a bunch in training, what can I do to lengthen my sprint

What is your cadence usually like during your sprint? Do you feel like when you start your sprint, you can easily get on top of the gear, or does it take you a long time to wind up?

There are definitely TrainerRoad official recommendations on being more explosive in your sprint and sprint mechanics, but as a sprinter, I can try to help beyond that! :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Hi Ivy I really appreciate the feedback.:smiley: my sprint is usually 90 at the start to 110 or really even 120 max. I can usually Star my sprint super fast as long as I’m in a good gear . Thx again. I’ll look at that article now :bike:

I asked Coach Chad for some ideas, so will let you know if he weighs in!
Disclaimer: NOT an official TrainerRoad drill or coaching advice, just something that I have had a good experience with in sprint training that some teammates taught me back in the day. The idea was to find a road with a slight incline (just like a false flat, 2-5%), start in a bigger gear, and slowly wind up out of the saddle, keeping the gear DIFFICULT and your RPMS closer to 60-75 for as long as you can! (Literally, as long as you can, until you cant stay out of the saddle anymore). :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Im a lot like you in that I can jump quickly and get on top of the gear, feeling comfortable at a higher cadence, but this helped me train to feel and adapt to longer/more difficult efforts out of the saddle by doing a bigger gear effort. It will feel brutal, but it really helped me have a longer sprint! I cant confirm any science behind it, and again, Im not a coach in any way, but I just really dug this drill and it may or may not be the right fit for you!

Almost forgot Chad’s tips for Efficiency and Strength Drills, but I’m curious to see if our other TrainerRoad athletes have any advice, or if Chad weighs in and has any ideas about lengthening a sprint in particular. If so, I’ll definitely keep you updated!

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It sounds like you’re just sprinting all out from the gun and then fading.

I’d probably find a stretch of road that is the length that I’m trying to extend my sprint to. Then I’d do reps of that segment while standing and sprinting but not all out. Starting at like 80% of all out and building up till I can begin to feel the effort i can hold for that time. And then do that effort with a bunch of rest in between until my power starts to fall and then go home for the day.

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Thx A lot guys im new here at TrainerRoad (first post) its a really great community and the feedback is just what I’m looking for

That is great I’ll give it a shot

Also 1 more thing for the drill on the false flat. I race and ride junior gears so I don’t know if I can sprint at 60-75 rpms

Ah dang! In that case, lets work on leg speed! Chad did send some recommendations for that, because while 100rpm in a sprint isnt slow, you can work towards 120 or 130rpm!

Chad’s advice:

A neurally driven burst of leg speed is necessary to jump effectively, so they could practice winding up cadence more quickly, getting to 110-120 almost instantly. Even short, 6-second bursts that initiate their intervals work well.
Also, force wind-ups, counterintuitive as they seem, do well at increasing the rate of force development/RFD and max torque. Starting in a big gear, very low speed, stand and stomp on the pedals. For example, 53x13 (or on your junior gears, the biggest one you got!), 3mph, in the drops, probably outdoors, stand and stomp from 50rpm until you hit 90rpm, should take roughly 8-10 seconds.
Also, plyometrics, which we’ll discuss in a bit more depth during the podcast tomorrow. :nerd_face:

Nice link, thanks!

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I forget about those Efficiency Drills sometimes, glad there was a reason to revisit them. They’re so good! :muscle:

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yup, I’ve been doing endurance spinning to increase efficiency and raise my naturally low cadence. This weekend have 2 sets of 10-minute one leggers (isolated leg training) - each minute is 45 seconds with one leg, then 15 seconds to switch legs. Its going to be brutal :hot_face: but just the thing to keep working on efficiency.

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Sounds great would that work on a hill like hill repeats doing that 50-90 drill?

Lots of great advice here, but one thing I really try to drill into peoples heads for sprinting longer distances: don’t let your form get sloppy.

I’m way more of a long distance sprinter, or sprinting from a breakaway type rider than a pure explosiveness guy. my 5s PR is just over 1500w but I can do ~1000-1100w for 30s almost on demand for sprint efforts. Form is a big part of that, the video that @IvyAudrain linked to in the “how to be explosive” article with @Pete is a great way to look at your form.

Some off the bike things to do that I’ve found can help maintain explosiveness: Jump Squats (weighted or not) and box jumps. The motions are similar enough, where you’re aiming to explode through the motion, that you can continue to recruit those muscles, this will help you when you use proper form.

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Definitely, as long as just a ‘false flat’ and not too steep. You dont want to feel like you’re climbing during these drills!

Stoked for you! You’re getting a ton of good advice here and will be sprinting longer and stronger in no time! :muscle: :star2:

Ok gotcha thx a bunch