Thanks in advance
Transition from a climber to a sprinter?
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For all my life i have been very lean, which has helped me when climbing, but the races here in denmark usually always end in bunch sprints. Is it even possible to make such a drastic transition? And if so, what kind of training should i focus on doing? (I have a powermeter and access to a gym)
Thanks in advance
Thanks in advance
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In my own experience the type of rider you are is very defined by genetics. It's possible to work within the confines of what you're given, but drastic changes will be difficult or even impossible in some cases.
What does your power profile look like? It can be helpful to give some sort of indication.
What does your power profile look like? It can be helpful to give some sort of indication.
Thanks for the reply despite it being pretty sad 
I weigh 48kg and i can put out 1200 watts in a sprint and i have an ftp of 265 watts.
Knowing that my power numbers are on the low end, i try to get as low as possible when sprinting( a la caleb ewan)
I weigh 48kg and i can put out 1200 watts in a sprint and i have an ftp of 265 watts.
Knowing that my power numbers are on the low end, i try to get as low as possible when sprinting( a la caleb ewan)
Sprinting is mostly fast twitch muscle. Some types of fast twitch can be converted into slow twitch but I don't think it works the other way.
But what you have can be strengthened through training, and I don't think that anyone has zero fast twitch.
A good part of sprinting is positioning and timing and those can be improved through practice.
But what you have can be strengthened through training, and I don't think that anyone has zero fast twitch.
A good part of sprinting is positioning and timing and those can be improved through practice.
Another very important point is being fresh at the end of races. It might sound counter-intuitive, but working towards a higer FTP might be the answer to a better sprint in races. With more energy and with good positioning and timing it is possible to get solid placings even without crazy high power numbers.
Giving a magazine interview, my local cycling association's coach doing national trials said
"Six seconds measure neuromuscular power. It shows quick reaction time, explosive power, whereas 30 seconds is where the endurance component of sprinting can be found, that’s where you heavily tap on your stores of glucose to give you energy. So 30 seconds basically can tell us who are the ones that can really sprint for a longer distance.
The four-minute test provides an indication of potential sustained power over longer periods."
In my opinion, time to peak power is very important, reaction time needs to be in the milliseconds range when the first guy jumps and from there the faster you can achieve your peak wattage the better.
"Six seconds measure neuromuscular power. It shows quick reaction time, explosive power, whereas 30 seconds is where the endurance component of sprinting can be found, that’s where you heavily tap on your stores of glucose to give you energy. So 30 seconds basically can tell us who are the ones that can really sprint for a longer distance.
The four-minute test provides an indication of potential sustained power over longer periods."
In my opinion, time to peak power is very important, reaction time needs to be in the milliseconds range when the first guy jumps and from there the faster you can achieve your peak wattage the better.
If you really weigh 48kg and you can push 1200W in sprint, your max w/kg is higher then world champion/world record holder:
With that, you should be able to completely dominate any sprint finish which is even slightly (more then 2-3%) uphill. Your FTP
is quite low in comparison (5.5W/kg), so you are already a sprinter/fast-twitch guy.
With that, you should be able to completely dominate any sprint finish which is even slightly (more then 2-3%) uphill. Your FTP
is quite low in comparison (5.5W/kg), so you are already a sprinter/fast-twitch guy.
DanW wrote:i can put out 1200 watts in a sprint
This is most likely a spike in your power meter. Stages are pretty bad for this for example.
If you are 48kg and have a 1200W sprint then you shouldn't have any complaints.
Whaaaattttt .... you mean the 1690 Max Watts my Stages PM showed on my last ride is not right ???
C64 My Sixty 4 SR EPS 12
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MattSoutherden
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I delete all rides that don't contain power spikes.
