N=1 Series Part 2 Regular Sprint Training

Introduction

This is part 2 of 10 of the N=1 series of becoming a stronger cyclist for less than a cup of coffee a day. In this series I am going to take you through my journey from my local Masters C category to Masters A in the space of 18 months, at the age of 57.

If you are reading this series for the first time, you can go back and read Part 1, where I start with a daily smoothie and Creatine.

Five weeks into Part 1 (Smoothie & Creatine) of my N=1 experiment, I started doing longer outdoor rides on a Wednesday morning with a couple of mates, otherwise known as the WMR. Wednesdays are my easy day, so I insisted that we keep it social and ride Zone 2 pace (75% of max heart rate or lower). After trying a few different routes, we settled on Albert Park Lake as our home track, with it's one set of lights and very little traffic.

Three months into my N=1, I had managed Personal Best power numbers from 3 to 35 seconds and also ridden very close to my record power for 3.5hrs at Amy's Gran Fondo in Lorne, averaging 34.5km/h, over 121km, whilst climbing 1724m. It was a day to remember as I qualified for the 2025 UCI fondo on the same course.

 

In early October 2024, two weeks after Amy's GF my mate Nathan, who is a very strong sprinter suggested that we throw a few 10 second sprints into the mix every 10kms. To my surprise, I managed Power PRs from 3-12 seconds. The next week we did 5 and I managed new power PRs from 8-12sec. Some weeks we sprinted short and some longer sprints out to 20 seconds or more if I felt good. The recurring result was more power PRs. There's a lot to be said for having some healthy competition to bring the best out in all of us.

Around this time I also watched a couple of videos on Sprinting by Semi Pro Cycling's, Damian Ruse, which broke down the different components of sprinting, which I incorporated into by sprinting technique.

 ⚡ Purpose

To be honest, introducing sprints into my easy day was never my plan.  I recall hearing Robbie McEwen, one of Australia's best ever sprinters say that he would never end a ride without throwing in a sprint, so there must be something in that.  Sprinting is often overlooked in endurance-focused training, yet it plays a pivotal role in key moments—be it in breakaways, closing gaps, or final surges. Once I got into it and saw the results, I was committed to adding some sprints into the WMR and having a bit of fun.

 👤 Individual Focus

I train six days a week and compete in track, road races and criteriums, where tactical surges and finishing sprints often determine results. Prior to the experiment, my sprint work was sporadic and mostly race-derived. In the past most of my wins have come from breakaways, however racing on flat crit courses leaves very few opportunites for a rider like myself to score a win.  I needed to try something different. My peak power is not high by sprinter's standards, but by being able to hold a sprint for longer, I could hold off my opponents if I started sprinting earlier and caught them by surprise.  Alternatively I might be able to get a break from a bunch by sprinting and then moving to threshold to maintain the break.

Workouts included:

- Short sprints: 6–10 seconds, max effort from a rolling start

- Long sprints: 15–30 seconds at high cadence from low gear

 🎯 Control and Measurement

To track performance gains and minimize training noise:

- Sprint sessions: standardized by duration, effort type, and recovery time

- Metrics captured: Average sprint power (5s, 15s, and 30s)

- Tracking tools: I used Garmin bike computer and Favero Assioma Power Pedals.

- Sprint training was inserted into a 90-100min zone 2 weekly group ride

 📊 Data Analysis

A few key results emerged over the first month:

- Peak power gains: Improved 5-second wattage by 1%, 15-second efforts by 3% and 30-second efforts by 6.7%

- Repeatability: Able to produce more high-quality efforts in a session with shorter recovery time

- Race dynamics: Felt more confident launching attacks and responding to accelerations

- Neuromuscular feel: Pedal stroke felt snappier, with better high-cadence control

- Recovery patterns: Surprisingly fast post-session recovery after week 4, with less residual fatigue

- Over the remainder of the year, I managed to improve my record sprint power from 4 to 30 seconds.

Sprint Times for 12M ending June 25, compared with previous 12M and all time records.

 ⚠️ Limitations

Like any single-subject experiment, this came with caveats:

- External variability: Sprint results can fluctuate due to equipment, wind, terrain, fatigue, competition or motivation

- No control group: Improvements might’ve occurred from other concurrent training, increasing my Wednesday Zone 2 ride from 60min to 100min or as the result of my smoothie and creatine that I had been taking for 3 months when I started the sprint intervals.

- Data granularity: Sprint power depends on position, gear, and terrain—hard to fully standardize, although I did ride the same bike on the same course each week.

- Age adaptation: Neuromuscular gains may differ from younger athletes, 

Cost

$0.00

Summary

Working on my sprinting using this weekly social recovery ride to try new sprint tactics and apply newly learned skills, made me a better sprinter and a more competitive cyclist. Sprinting is something that I now work on weekly and having a group of mates who I regularly train with is a great gauge of progress.  A little friendly competition goes a long way.

Journal articles
Neural, metabolic, and performance adaptations to four weeks of high intensity sprint-interval training in trained cyclists

Autonomic cardiovascular modulation in masters and young cyclists following high-intensity interval training

Influence of high-intensity interval training on adaptations in well-trained cyclists