Sprinting Drills
Jumps
Jumps are eight-second or 50-meter mini-sprints done in the small ring without shifting. These are done during easy endurance rides and help develop snap and teach you to wind out those gears before feeling the need to shift.
These also are done at the beginning of a sprint workout to prime the nervous and muscular systems and prepare them for the work to come.
Example 1: Do three to five jumps with one to three minutes between each, followed by five minutes easy spinning, then do your sprint workout.
These also can be performed every five to 10 minutes during an easy day to keep the legs going and work on snap. They're a good way to get ready for a race the following day, when done in conjunction with some lactate-threshold and big-gear work.
Example 2: Easy ride with eight to 10 jumps during the ride, with five to 10 minutes of easy pedaling at endurance pace between each.
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Fast-Pedaling Efforts
Done in the small ring; the focus here is high, efficient cadence—not high heart rate. These are done as 30 seconds on/30 seconds off efforts, building up to the fastest pace you can hold without bouncing or losing form. These are a good way to get the legs ready for big-gear/low-cadence work, to recover and clear the legs of metabolic waste. These can be done on big-gear or easy spinning days.
As you master these, try performing longer high-cadence intervals. It's important to concentrate on your form during the sprint, and if at any point form begins to degrade, stop the interval—you don't want to reinforce incorrect form.
Example: Standard warm-up followed by three to five sets of 30 seconds on/30 seconds off fast-pedaling efforts in the small ring with five-minute recoveries between sets.
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Small-Ring Sprints
Small-ring sprints work on leg speed and neuromuscular recruitment, and are a great way to work on sprinting early in the season, work on sprinting fundamentals, get ready for the big ring on sprint days, and to spin out the legs after big-gear riding.
Example: Standard warm-up, followed by three to five small-ring jumps, then:
- 2 x 39:19 with two gear changes. Jump hard from 12 to 15 mph and wind each out completely before shifting, with three to five minutes between each.
- 2 x 39:17 with one gear change. Jump hard from 15 to 18 mph and wind each out completely before shifting, with three to five minutes between each.
These can also be done as a gear ladder, where a sprint is done in every gear on the small ring from the top to bottom and back up the cassette. These are 50- to 150-meter sprints going as hard as you can, winding each gear out completely, and resting three to five minutes between each until the cassette has been run through. This is a very demanding workout and is a great way to work on your snap!
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Surges
These power efforts will help you learn to generate power in the big ring when the time comes to sprint, later in the training season. Being able to turn over a big gear is key to sprinting at the end of a race. These are performed while seated, and don't typically raise the heart rate very high, so they're a good option for the power phases of training when staying below threshold is still a focus.
Example: While seated, use a big gear (i.e. 53:17 or lower) that allows you to pedal at 40-50 rpm at about 12 mph, and then attack that gear hard while staying seated and hammer for about eight to 10 seconds or until you hit 80-100 rpm. Pedal easy for three minutes between efforts and repeat. Perform three to five sets of five repetitions with five- to 10-minute recoveries between sets.
Big-ring drill
This drill improves speed, power and anaerobic endurance in the big ring. In order to be competitive in a sprint over 15 mph, you'll have to do it in the big ring. After working on your sprint in the small ring for a while, move on to these drills. Example: Standard warm-up, followed by three to five small-ring jumps, then:
- 2 x 53:19 with two gear changes. Jump hard from 18 to 20 mph and wind each out completely before shifting and three to five minutes between each. Five minutes easy between sets.
- 2 x 53:17 with one gear change. Jump hard from 22 to 24 mph and wind each out completely before shifting and three to five minutes between each. Five minutes easy between sets.
- 1 x 53:16, 15, 14, 13, jumping as hard as you can and winding that gear out completely from 25+ mph, no gear changes, five minutes easy between each.
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