For a competitive cyclist it's a necessity but if you're a recreational
rider you may be thinking," I don't need to sprint." Your sprinting
skills can be useful in situations where a quick acceleration is needed.
To name a couple: 1. To evade your favorite dog on the weekend route
that everyone has nicknamed Cujo. 2. The light has turned green and it's
off to the races as if someone has rung the dinner bell. Get your
sprint on to remain in contact as the quick acceleration of the group
will gradually slow to it's regular pace.
Making it happen
O.K. if you have visions of rocking the
bike from side to side like a gorilla pounding it's chest back off on
the hammer and stay in control of your bike. The heavy swing from side
to side makes it difficult to sprint in a straight line. Think of
Waltzing not the Charleston on the bike. The bike should shift from side
to side slightly. So, you're riding along and you see your opportunity
to apply a sprint so what do you do? Keep your head up and watch your
path for debris and potholes. Grasp the bars firmly and if you're on a
road bike go for the drops, keep the arms rigid. Shift into a bigger
gear (slightly harder but not to hard) and as your pedal comes over the
top of the stroke come out of the saddle and accelerate smoothly. Keep
your weight back to keep traction on the rear wheel. As you stroke down
with power pull up with the arm on the same side. Once you have
accelerated and your cadence is around 110-130 sit down and recover. During recovery find the gears that allow you to maintain your natural cadence and manageable speed.
Finding a ride to practice
Solo
You may want
to practice solo until you get your rhythm down. This can
be done on a trainer, spin bike, or on your favorite loop by picking
some landmarks to shoot for like a mailbox, telephone pole, road sign,
etc. Do about 4-6 sprints allowing sufficient time to recover between
each. Keep the sprints short (10-15 seconds) and slowly extend your
sprint time as your fitness improves.
With a group
Some
club rides have designated sprint zones (these are typically not
announced) or you can recruit some friends
to do fartlek type of a workout. Set the recovery pace that all riders
will maintain while the rider on the rear of the single file sprints
forward ahead of the group for a designated amount of time (15 - 30
seconds). After the sprint is completed, recover by slowing your pace
and as the group catches up pick up your pace to match the designated
pace. The riders in the group need to avoid picking up the pace to chase
the rider down. Adjustments to the pace can be adjusted by the group
ride leader.
Additional notes
If you find your
recovery is taking a long time after a sprint consider spending some
time building your aerobic base. This will develop your slowtwitch
fibers which will aid in clearing the high levels of lactate. Upon
finishing your last sprint of the ride be sure to recover well by bring
your pace down to let the blood normalize in the legs and to clear the
high levels of lactate. Though you're heart rate may drop like a rock
after your sprint your
lactate levels will still be climbing for a few minutes afterwards
depending on the effort. Consider managing the recovery pace for 20
minutes before getting off the bike. Sprinting to the finish will
engorge the legs with blood and the high levels of lactate will bring
stiff, sore legs later and a prolonged recovery.
|