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Part XII · Cycling workouts

Sprint Ride: Fifteen Seconds, Fully Recovered

Short maximal efforts on the bike. They reach the fast-twitch fibres endurance training never touches, at almost no metabolic cost.

Workout at a glance

35–50 min

  1. 01

    Warmup

    Breathe in and out through your nose

    You could keep this up for hours

    15–20 min

    HR 62–76% · RPE 3/10

  2. 02

    Sprints

    Past thinking about your breathing

    You could hold this for only a few seconds

    2 min recovery · easy spin

    6–10 × 15s

    RPE 10/10

  3. 03

    Cooldown

    Breathe in and out through your nose

    You could keep this up for hours

    8–12 min

    HR 62–76% · RPE 3/10

The lesson

  1. 01

    Sprints reach your fastest fibres

    Your highest-threshold fast-twitch fibres only work at a maximal effort. Short sprints keep the path to them quick.

  2. 02

    Warm up 15 to 20 minutes

    Easy riding, then find a straight quiet road, a closed loop or a trainer. A slight uphill keeps the effort on force rather than speed.

  3. 03

    Start rolling, in a solid gear

    Roll in at an easy spin, in a gear with something to push against, but not so big you grind at 50 rpm. Seated or standing.

  4. 04

    Sprint for 15 seconds

    All-out. If you could have held it for a minute, it was not maximal. Speed up the cadence rather than straining on the pedals.

  5. 05

    Spin easy for 2 minutes

    Recover fully between every sprint. A sprint you start tired is not maximal.

  6. 06

    Stop when they stop being sharp

    6 to 10 sprints. End when power or coordination drops.

  7. 07

    Bike sprints build bike power

    They do not build tendon stiffness or change how your foot meets the ground. Hill sprints on foot do that.