Improve your Sprint Now that the official criterium Season is upon us, here is a quick training drill to help improve your final sprint.

This is critical to your success to winning if you are in with the front riders in the closing km's of a race. This training is designed to help you to develop a killer finishing kick in road and criterium racing.

Ride slowly in a relatively big gear (53x16 or 15 maybe) at about 7-10km/h. It's important to start in a big gear and ride slow at the start of each sprint as the windup builds strength in your legs that will help you jump fast and smooth when you go to sprint in your racing. Choose a starting point (like a telephone pole or mailbox), and when you reach it, sprint out of the saddle as hard as you can for about 15 seconds or until you have reached your max speed. As you accelerate and your cadence increases, shift through the gears one at a time. You want to get on top of the gear you're in, then shift, wind up that gear and then shift again. Don't just jump and shift to your biggest gear immediately. Focus on keeping good form (holding you hips straight and not moving all over the bike) while performing this exercise. Over the weeks aim to improve your max speed and reach it faster. Beginners should complete five sprints, intermediate riders should do seven, and advanced riders should be able to do nine. Take five minutes of easy spinning recovery between each. If you're speed or power output during the sprints falls dramatically part way through the workout, don't bother with the rest of the sprints. At that point, you're better off just continuing your ride at an easy pace. These can be incorporated into your regular commute to Work when starting off from stop lights (when they Turn green of course). To make it harder, do them up a hill or into a head wind. Remember to ensure that you have warmed up correctly for at least 10 minutes before performing this exercise and have several weeks of solid base training behind you before you start. Start this drill four weeks out from the race you want to peak for.

CYCLING INFORM DISCLAIMER;

Please consult your primary care physician before beginning any program of exercise. This type of training is not recommended for young people who are not fully grown, or for anyone suffering from illness or medical conditions. If you are overweight, have been sedentary for several years, if there is history of heart disease in your family, or if you are over 40, it is particularly important that you seek the advice of a qualified physician before commencing sprint training.