CoachingAnswer

HOW DO I IMPROVE MY SPRINT?

By Anthony WalshRoadman CyclingUpdated 26 May 2026

ANSWER

Improve your sprint by training specifically for it: 3–5 maximal efforts of 8–15 seconds, fully recovered (5+ minutes between), twice a week. Sprint power is trainable — most club cyclists never do genuine maximal efforts because they fear the discomfort. André Greipel's advice holds at every level: the sprint starts 2 kilometres before the line, not 200 metres. Positioning wins sprints before the power does.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Sprint training requires 100% maximal effort — sub-maximal 'sprint' intervals don't build sprint power.
Fully recovery between efforts (5+ minutes) is non-negotiable; fatigued sprints train fatigue, not speed.
Positioning in the final kilometre matters as much as raw power — Cory Williams puts 1,100 W to work because he arrives in the right wheel.
Strength work (hip hinges, split squats, plyometrics) directly transfers to peak sprint wattage.

WHO THIS IS FOR

IS THIS YOU?

The rider who gets pipped at the line

You arrive at the sprint in the right position but lack the final 10-second power to hold the wheel.

The criterium rider needing tactical sprint skills

You race crits and need both the positioning intelligence and the raw wattage to contest finishes.

THE ROADMAN VIEW

Most amateur riders think of sprinting as something you either have or you don't — fast-twitch genetics handed out at birth. André Greipel addressed this directly on the podcast: the ability to sprint well at a high level is partly genetic, but the ability to improve your sprint from wherever you are now is available to almost everyone, and almost nobody trains it specifically.

Cory Williams is the practical case study. He can produce over 1,600 watts — but he talked about the difference between raw sprint wattage and winning sprint wattage. You can have 1,640 watts and lose to someone with 1,100 if they arrive with better position, better timing and a faster initial acceleration. The physical and the tactical have to work together.

The training fix is simple and mostly avoided because it's genuinely uncomfortable: short, fully maximal efforts with long, genuine recovery. Eight to fifteen seconds all-out from a rolling start, then five full minutes of easy spinning before you do it again. Do that twice a week for six weeks and almost every rider sees peak power move. The discomfort is the point.

EXPERT EVIDENCE

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY

Cory WilliamsProfessional criterium specialist, Legion Cycling Team
Peak sprint wattage matters less than most people think. Position, timing and acceleration from the right wheel are what actually win criterium sprints at amateur level. Work on placing yourself correctly first — then the power question becomes the gap to close.
Hear it: Cory Williams on Sprint Power & Cycling Training | Roadman
André GreipelProfessional cyclist, 158 career wins, 11 Tour de France stages
Sprinting is a skill built over years of specific work — maximal efforts, strength training, positioning practice. Natural ability gives you a starting point; consistent training of the specific movements and energy systems is what builds a sprinter.
Hear it: André Greipel on Sprinting, Burnout & Cycling Coaching | Roadman

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

DO THIS WEEK

Add sprint intervals twice a week
After a 20-minute warm-up: 5 maximal efforts of 10 seconds from a rolling 20 km/h, with 5 minutes of easy spinning between each. These must be 100% effort — not 'hard', maximal. Record peak power each time.
Train your sprint from different conditions
Vary your practice: sprints from a standing start, sprints from 30 km/h, sprints into a headwind, sprints uphill. Each stresses a different part of the neuromuscular system and makes you a more complete finisher.
Study and practise positioning
In group rides or training races, practise sitting in the top 5 with 2 km to go without burning matches. Sprint power is wasted if you spend it fighting through 20 riders in the last 200 metres.

COMMON MISTAKES

WHAT CYCLISTS GET WRONG

MISTAKEDoing sprint intervals at 80–90% effort.
FIXOnly 100% effort recruits the fast-twitch fibres and drives peak power adaptation. Anything less is just fatiguing, not training the sprint.
MISTAKETaking only 90 seconds recovery between sprints.
FIXFatigued sprints don't train sprinting. They train fatigued riding. Full recovery (5+ minutes) is the only way to access true maximal power on each effort.
MISTAKENeglecting sprint-specific strength work.
FIXHip hinges, split squats, and plyometric exercises directly develop the power expressions used in maximal accelerations. Two short strength sessions a week transfer to the bike.

FAQ

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can you improve sprinting ability as an older cyclist?

Yes, though the ceiling changes. Fast-twitch muscle fibres are lost progressively after 40, which is one reason sprint-specific training and strength work matter more with age. You can maintain and modestly improve peak power well into your 50s with consistent, specific work.

What wattage do good amateur sprinters produce?

A competitive male amateur typically produces 900–1,200 watts peak in a sprint. Cat 1–2 racers often produce 1,200–1,500 watts. Professional sprinters routinely exceed 1,600 watts. The number matters less than your personal progression over time.

Is sprinting power mostly genetics?

Fibre-type distribution has a genetic component, and riders born with more fast-twitch muscle have a ceiling advantage. But training moves the number from wherever you start — most amateur sprints are lost to under-training of the specific system, not genetics.

Should I sprint in or out of the saddle?

Most riders produce more peak power out of the saddle in a standing sprint. But staying seated can be faster in certain situations — criterium corners, uphill sprints — because it maintains more stability and lets you keep cadence high. Train both.

How does strength training improve the sprint?

Heavy strength work develops the neuromuscular recruitment patterns and rate of force development that underpin peak power. Split squats, hip hinges and plyometrics improve the explosiveness that transfers directly to the first 5 seconds of a sprint.

RELATED EPISODES

HEAR THE CONVERSATIONS

André Greipel on Sprinting, Burnout & Cycling Coaching | Roadman

Cory Williams on Sprint Power & Cycling Training | Roadman

Criterium Secrets: Get Ahead of 99% of Your Competition | Cory Williams