Elite sprinters like Mark Cavendish are able to explode in the last 200-300m of their races. Seems like the physiology would be the same as closing hard in a track race. Anyone know how those guys train? Was looking online and I really can't find much info.
Cavendish said he doesn’t train sprinting because his talent is fine, and he only needs to train endurance.
The track cyclists do squats and gym work.
They need to get a good base in because even though they’re sprinters, they still need to be aerobic monsters.
They spend a lot of time in zone 5 when training. In 120ish% of FTP more than you would think. Hellish lactic acid. Able to tolerate a lot of pain.
Track cycling wrote:
Cavendish said he doesn’t train sprinting because his talent is fine, and he only needs to train endurance.
The track cyclists do squats and gym work.
Yeah, a lot of lifting. Strong emphasis on posterior chain & core
over the 165 day span of his 2024 season, Cav raced 59 days
i'm not sure what his off-seasons used to look like, but in-season the racing itself is the primary training when it comes to intensity. longish mostly easy miles are typical for sprinters in between the races to help them keep their weight down.
think henry rono running 9 minute miles for 2 hours straight. it's that sort of mind-numbingly boring rides in my experience with a US Natl Champion as well as a GB Olympic Champion on the track.
seeing a city sign and jumping for it first only to have them absolutely blow by me made tagging along worth it.
Lifting. Including a good amount of upper body.
high cadence drills.
sprinting. In addition to developing power, sprinting is all about timing and that is developed through reps. Timing is way different between an uphill vs downhill sprint and for these guys it all needs to be second nature (including coordinating with the leadout).
as others have said, a lot of these guys are built with good systems and physiology for sprinting. The bigger issue is getting them to the sprint in good position and form after 100+ miles of riding. In order to do that they spend a lot of time working aerobic zones and training like any other all arounder cyclist.
the mental aspect of sprinting cannot be understated. Putting yourself in position for a sprint is scary and takes a lot of mental focus and confidence. The guys that get on a roll in a tour, build up confidence and it gets easier and easier. A slump compounds itself due to the drain of confidence.
No, sprint cyclists aren’t doing a lot of lifting. They do some lifting but not a lot. They’re trying to keep their weight down. A lot of lifting will put on weight. Is a sprinter heavier than a climber? Yes, of course. But these guys are still pretty light.
Go listed to the Roadman podcast with Cavendish’s coach. He says that they don’t do any lifting with Cav. Granted, this is due to a back injury, but my point is that not all of the top sprinters are lifting like crazy, as people in this thread seem to suggest.