WHO THIS IS FOR
IS THIS YOU?
The strong rider who keeps losing bunch sprints
You test well on power but consistently finish mid-pack because you're never in position when the sprint actually starts.
The rider new to bunch finishes
You've raced a handful of road events and the last kilometre still feels like chaos rather than something you can read.
THE ROADMAN VIEW
The Roadman view
André Greipel put it plainly on the podcast: the sprint itself is the easy part. The hard part happens three kilometres earlier, when thirty riders are all trying to occupy the same six wheels. Amateurs train the wrong thing. They do standing-start power efforts in the gym or on the turbo and assume that's sprint training. It's a component, not the whole picture.
What separates a rider who wins club sprints from one who has the legs but never finishes top five is positional discipline. It means being willing to sit uncomfortably close to wheels, to fight for a metre of road on a corner, and to accept some elbows. Most amateur racers are too polite in the position battle and pay for it with their finishing spot, regardless of how many watts they can produce.
Sprinting is also a skill you rehearse, not just a gift. Practising your jump, your line choice, and your ability to hold a straight line under fatigue in low-stakes training sprints builds the muscle memory that a first-timer simply doesn't have on race day.
EXPERT EVIDENCE
WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY
- André GreipelProfessional sprinter, multiple Grand Tour stage winner
The riders who win sprints consistently are rarely the fastest in isolation — they're the ones who are never more than four or five wheels from the front with a kilometre to go. Losing the sprint usually happened long before the final effort.
Hear it: André Greipel on Sprinting, Burnout & Cycling Coaching | Roadman
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
DO THIS WEEK
Rehearse position-holding in training
In group rides, practise moving from the back of the group to the front ten wheels without surging or panicking. Do this repeatedly so it becomes automatic rather than something you think through mid-race.
Time your effort against a landmark, not a feeling
Pick a fixed distance — 200 metres — and practise judging it on local roads so you recognise it under fatigue. Opening too early is the single most common way amateurs lose a sprint they were positioned to win.
Train the jump separately from top speed
A 5–8 second maximal standing-start effort recruits different qualities to your sustained sprint speed. Add these once a week as short, fully recovered efforts — 6–8 reps of 6 seconds with 3 minutes easy between.
COMMON MISTAKES
WHAT CYCLISTS GET WRONG
MISTAKEDrifting to the back of the bunch in the final 5km because it feels safer.
FIXThe back of the bunch is where sprints are lost, not saved. Fight to stay in the top 15–20 wheels even if it means riding in the wind more than you'd like.
MISTAKEOpening the sprint too early because a competitor jumps.
FIXLet early attacks go if they're premature — a sprint opened at 400m rarely holds to the line against a rider who opens at 200m. Judge distance, not panic.
MISTAKESprinting out of the saddle the whole way and fading.
FIXUse the standing jump to get on top of the gear, then sit and spin at high cadence for the sustained portion. Standing the entire sprint burns through your effort too fast.
FAQ
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What wattage do you need to win a bunch sprint?
When should I start my sprint?
How do I get better at reading a bunch sprint?
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