THE SHORT ANSWER
Alex Wild, competitive mountain biker and gravel racer, preparing for leadville 100 and breck epic, has appeared on the Roadman Cycling Podcast 3 times. Here's where Wild lands on sprinting. The positions below are drawn from those conversations, quoted directly.
WHO IS ALEX WILD?
Alex Wild is a long-tenured US off-road pro — Specialized Factory Racing, multiple Leadville podiums, and one of the more analytically minded gravel/MTB riders in the Lifetime Grand Prix series. His willingness to open his training files publicly (power numbers, pacing decisions, drivetrain choices) makes him an unusually useful reference for amateur racers trying to understand what 'good' looks like. His read on field-strength escalation across the Grand Prix is one of the more accurate in the discipline.
WILD ON SPRINTING
Wild’s key positions on sprinting.
- Race taper depends on the course — a Cape Epic taper is not a Sea Otter taper; race-to-race prep isn't one template.
- Race-week activation: 7×8 minutes at ~390W normalised the week before, with 3-minute recoveries — repeatability across the set is the green light.
- Drivetrain choice for varied gravel: SRAM Transmission, 50T chainring, 10–52 cassette — big enough for the flats, small enough for the climb finish.
- Watts/CDA on flats and watts/kg on climbs are the next live on-bar metrics — aero is becoming the second axis of the power conversation, not a one-off wind-tunnel test.
- Field-strength signal across the Grand Prix: power numbers are rising while placings aren't — Dylan Johnson hit a 317W normalised PR for a 38th-place finish.
IN WILD’S OWN WORDS
Verbatim from Alex Wild’s appearances on the podcast.
“I think the normalized was like 390 for over an hour. And it's a good sign, right? Because in that the three minutes is strategic because it's teaching your body to flush that lactate and flush it quickly. So, I think that repeatability was there which was exciting.”
“I firmly believe in the future on climbs we'll be talking watts per kilo and then on the flats we'll be talking watts per CDA. And you'll be able to see both on your head unit live. I think we're just a few years from that.”
“I think Dylan Johnson and I appreciate him being super transparent about it said I think he did 317 normalized for the race. Best PR for him ever for 38th and just mindblowing to him and to everyone that we're putting out power PRs and we're going some riders are going backwards in placings.”
HEAR IT ON THE PODCAST
Episodes where Alex Wild covers sprinting and related ground.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
What does Alex Wild say about sprinting?
Alex Wild, competitive mountain biker and gravel racer, preparing for leadville 100 and breck epic, has appeared on the Roadman Cycling Podcast 3 times. Here's where Wild lands on sprinting. The positions below are drawn from those conversations, quoted directly.
What is Wild's main point on sprinting?
Race taper depends on the course — a Cape Epic taper is not a Sea Otter taper; race-to-race prep isn't one template.
Which Roadman Cycling Podcast episodes cover Alex Wild on sprinting?
Wild discusses sprinting in this episode: "Alex Wild Opens Up On Power & Rivals At Sea Otter 2025".