How To Sprint Faster On A Road Bike

At some point in every cyclist's life, they will sprint. Maybe that’s because they’re being chased by a stray dog, they want to beat their mates to the cafe or they want to win a race. In this video, Chris and Si run you through three key aspects of training this skill.

Step one: Preparation. Now we have the perfect road we want to make sure we are both mentally and physically prepared for the efforts, you’ll want to adjust your shoes as tight as is bearable, and find a good strong grip in the bottom hooks of your bars.

Step two: sprinting technique. We’re going to target the fast high revving sprints of around 15 seconds, this is slightly longer than the bodies energy system wants to maintain a sprint, but not long enough to turn into an anaerobic effort.

Step three: fine tuning. To take these efforts to the next level, you can pay attention to a few extra details within the session. You can pick an imaginary finish line or sprint between two distinct markers on the road. By doing this you’ll start to learn how far you can sprint before fading, and when you should really start to sprint maximally in a competitive environment.

If you enjoyed this video, make sure to give it a thumbs up and share it with your friends. 👍

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Leave us a comment below!

[gcn]

Are you as fast as Chris in a sprint? Let us know. 👇

[LUCYDIAMONDBOXER]

Where is this sacred road with not a single pot hole!?

[scottishjohn]

Ha ha this video cracks me up... what a fantastic choice to put Si and Chris in a video about sprinting!! I love the expression on Si's face when Chris talks about powering through from your Core, you can just see Si think (hmm core... yeah I have heard of that... not sure if I have one though!) A really good video none the less! Keep them coming. Would love to see some videos with Lasty and the new guys!

[andrewdewitt]

Great video - it ties in with Si's HIIT indoor training video where he did 8 x 30 sec sessions over half an hour. I use that one all the time on the spin bike.

[brandonkathan]

As a beginner cyclist thank you for all the content you put out. It caters to people of all fitness levels. Just know the production and quality you guys deliver with these videos is second to none. Thank you for all the helpful information. GCN is appreciated!

[lenahygiena]

4:02 Chris shamelessly showing off that core strength though! X'D He knows the viewers gonna be comparing him&Si

[AccFinEco]

I love sprints but l live inner city so:
1) l sprint off from traffic lights racing against the cars; its a great motivator!!
2) Ride to a local velodrome and practice sprints and try and acheive a new higher speed.

[ildutcho]

I have improved quite a bit this year winning sprinting battles in races, with our local group we have some set sprints on our group rides on longer rides town signs are a welcome bonus to brag about.

[markogden]

Why couldn't you have released this before I did my multiple max sprint session today?😂😂 Lol, good video!

[tomcorbett]

How do you talk about sprinting without mentioning KOMs ?!

[Brando]

GCN puts out the greatest videos! Learning so much as a beginner! Love this channel...please keep up the outstanding work.

[liambarber]

My tip for sprinting is that you want to hit the finish line at Max speed. You don't want to go all out in the first 5 sec. and lose momentum before you even hit the target.

[arvenzllanto]

I want to be a sprinter . This is what ive been waiting for

[hjshoon]

Thanks for the tips. Haven't been confident and used to off saddle sprint but hope to do more. Need more training on swinging the bike left right while sprinting.

[jonburnell]

Chris using Ollie's trademark thumbs up at the end there 👍

[jepulis]

Single speed commuter is nice for training if terrain is suitable. 48-17 and I have to sprint before every hill so that I dont lose time :) Its quite nice as you can still go slowish too on warmer days.

[jufeltorrejos]

Thank you so much I can now sprint faster❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[nathanwilliams]

It’s such a beautiful sport thanks for sharing

[champtech]

One of the track coaches I knew, would say to Chris to keep his cringed from pain face to himself. That's especially true when a lot ppl watching you as usually the case on the track, on which some guys were replying what if I have a natural cringed face. I guess it's equally important on the track as to ride fast.

[ftrider]

Suddenly feeling very old watching you both sprint off like that 😀