I am planning to ride later, not sure when yet, if times work I may join you in B
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Peter Salt
Bittersweet
- Location
- Yorkshire, UK
Setting a target for 3 weeks out seems a bit odd - especially for someone who is already trained. Surely, some structured training would be required - likely to include gym sessions if it's for Pmax/5sP.
Weight training is something that I've been doing for far longer then cycling and can assure you that you don't need to get bigger to get stronger. If you want to build strength keep the weights high, reps low, sets moderate and do long breaks in between. Problem with legs is that it's extremely difficult to do this at home - quads are big and you would need a lot of plates; a proper squat rack is expensive and without it you would need spotters. On top of that, starting to lift will hurt your cycling performance as you will be extremally sore at the beginning.
Legs
usually riding on Zwift...
- Location
- Staffordshire
I think Captain Chris’ point is that many people haven’t specifically tried hitting big 5s power numbers, because the point in a race when you unleash your biggest sprint is usually at the end and you’re fatigued. I bet Michael could easily crank out 1200w, but he ‘only’ peaked at 999w on Wednesday night. So it’s an interesting exercise, and I think that, within a 3-week window, you’d get some ‘noob gains’. I agree with you that, without specific strength training, the performance would plateau pretty soon.
straas
Matt
- Location
- Manchester
How do you improve sprints? Mine seems really poor, not sure if technique or physiology
I agree with all that. I've started doing some weights lately. I'm a bit wary of squats, so am doing leg press instead. What is your programme?
My 50 miller endurance ride morphed into for me a high pace race.
I was feeling a bit hot before the start-probably due to eating a big bowl of porride 30mins before the event. I jumped off the bike on the second lap on a downhill and plugged in the big fan. I also tweaked my setup which felt much nicer pre ride.
50 mins in we'd done 20miles, gathering up lots of C packs. I could tell from the numbers I was probably the only genuine D cat in my group.
Pace kept going, but I was feeling really up for it, sod the HR, just hang in the dwindling pack.
I came 3rd on the road by just a few seconds, those ahead were all high level C.
I smashed the D cat bracket by hanging with these C riders. Ave Watts 15 higher over 2 hours, pleased. Buzzing
I was feeling a bit hot before the start-probably due to eating a big bowl of porride 30mins before the event. I jumped off the bike on the second lap on a downhill and plugged in the big fan. I also tweaked my setup which felt much nicer pre ride.
50 mins in we'd done 20miles, gathering up lots of C packs. I could tell from the numbers I was probably the only genuine D cat in my group.
Pace kept going, but I was feeling really up for it, sod the HR, just hang in the dwindling pack.
I came 3rd on the road by just a few seconds, those ahead were all high level C.
I smashed the D cat bracket by hanging with these C riders. Ave Watts 15 higher over 2 hours, pleased. Buzzing
I think Carl has developed an excellent sprint, with 900+ Watts.
I doubt my best ever 1400Watts would be beat his W/kg chasing to a line.
My 50 miller endurance ride morphed into for me a high pace race.
I was feeling a bit hot before the start-probably due to eating a big bowl of porride 30mins before the event. I jumped off the bike on the second lap on a downhill and plugged in the big fan. I also tweaked my setup which felt much nicer pre ride.
50 mins in we'd done 20miles, gathering up lots of C packs. I could tell from the numbers I was probably the only genuine D cat in my group.
Pace kept going, but I was feeling really up for it, sod the HR, just hang in the dwindling pack.
I came 3rd on the road by just a few seconds, those ahead were all high level C.
I smashed the D cat bracket by hanging with these C riders. Ave Watts 15 higher over 2 hours, pleased. Buzzing
Awesome. Satisfying innit
<Tommy>
Illegitimi non carborundum
- Location
- Camden, London
I think in the end the only sprint power number that really matters the one when you’ve been going all out for a whole race. Not that other numbers can’t be indicators that help allude to that number. But I know for myself theres is a massive margin between what I can put out from spinning to what I can put out at the end of a hard race.
No offence to anyone but let’s see what you’ve got if you can stick with the leaders for a whole race and all that entails. Not what you got once you’ve been dropped out of the back and had a chance to recover before the finish. They’re two wholly different things.
Or as the great Bruce Lee put it when one of his opponents tried to show his potency before their fight by smashing a wooden board with his fist:
Bruce said simply “Boards don’t hit back!”
No offence to anyone but let’s see what you’ve got if you can stick with the leaders for a whole race and all that entails. Not what you got once you’ve been dropped out of the back and had a chance to recover before the finish. They’re two wholly different things.
Or as the great Bruce Lee put it when one of his opponents tried to show his potency before their fight by smashing a wooden board with his fist:
Bruce said simply “Boards don’t hit back!”
He was on CC yesterday
a few years back (back in the day) when I was racing competitively - low level cat 4 - the only way to get points and upgrade was to get good at the sprints as there were few hilly races and breaks were always chased down. It was death defying stuff with crashes in most races so you really wanted to be at the front end or else out the back when it came to the sprint finish. I worked on my sprints by doing gym work once a week - a circuit of squats or leg press, straight into box jumps. Then some light upper body stuff, rinse, repeat. It had the desired effect and I started getting podiums, won the points competition in a 3 day stage race, and the upgrade to cat 3. That was back before I had a power meter so I couldn't tell you what the power numbers were. Hulk impression below 😀
I'm going to try and join this one but I'm not brave enough to race in the Bs
<Tommy>
Illegitimi non carborundum
- Location
- Camden, London
@<Tommy>
True, Im almost never near the front where big sprint number might come in handy.
I know CCers were feeling generous, coz Carl's Girly friend was supposed to be watching.
But he was there at the front contesting the win
Yeah not knocking anyone mate. Not singling anyone out either! For example can’t fault Carl. Everyone was in the same race and he finished just behind Michael. Again Michael, strong sprinter. But as Legs said Michael for example, would be capable of a lot more watts from a spinning start than after a slog of a race. I’m not saying Michael’s sprint after a slog isn’t strong for example. I’m just saying that’s the number that is probably more relevant rather than his number in spin mode. Hope that makes sense.
I mean it doesn’t matter really if you’re at the front or mid field. It just much more of a test when you’re race has been a proper fight and left you with massive fatigue.
So maybe in my opinion its better to focus on that number as the relevant one if that makes sense…
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