Crosssports's Weblog

Howdy folks,

I hope you had an enjoyable skills session yesterday!

In a lot of ways, those sessions are the most fun I, for one, ever have on the bike. Hopefully you’re enjoying them too!

Time for some more engine work today, though…

and we’re going to work on the high rpm side of the ledger with some…

Downhill Sprints…

Start by warming up well, a bit longer than usual – 30 minutes or so.

Find a gradual downhill that lets out on a flat section of road or trail.

The ideal setup for this workout is a hill that’s about a block long, and lets out on a flat section of road that’s also about a block long. Extra bonus points if you can loop back to the start without having to turn around – that would be perfect.

You’re going to do 3-5 sets of 5 sprints, one notch below full gas.

Here’s how the sprints go:

Roll down the gradual descent in a comfortable gear.

You want to hit the bottom of the hill going fast, but not yet in a sprint.

As soon as you hit the flat section at the bottom of the hill, get out of the saddle and give it gas.

Go until you are spun out.

That’s one rep. You’re doing sets of 5.

Each sprint should take just a few seconds.

Recover for a minute between reps, and 5 minutes between sets.

Stop when you hit 5 sets or just aren’t getting the same leg speed you were on the first couple of reps.

When you’re done, spin out and go home.

Tips –

– You should start the sprint in a pretty big gear, and spin it out. How big? It depends on how fast you’re going and how strong you are.

You’re working on speed here, so don’t try to lug a giant gear, but the gear needs to be big enough that you accelerate when you hit it at the end of the downhill.

– Stand up out of the saddle when you start to sprint, and gradually sit down as you begin to spin out.

– Don’t forget to breathe.

Seriously.

Too many people hold their breath when they sprint. Don’t be one of them.

Have fun!

M

~ by crosssports on October 10, 2012.

Posted in The Workout Of The Day