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If you were track racing between 1977 and 1986 and had aspirations for a world sprint title, this man would have been your main competition - and he was unbeatable...
The track sprint is a 1500m race, of which only the last 200m are timed. You need to be tenacious and have BIG POWER to win this race (like the 2300 Watt kick of British track sprinter Chris Hoy) but surprisingly, you also need endurance. Koichi Nakano used to train around the hills in Japan on a single speed for up to 6 hours in a day!
For anyone that hasn't watched track racing, take yourself down to the track in Durban. There's a huge range of disciplines, requiring unique skills and physical abilities in order to be competitive and competent. It's excellent to watch once you understand the dynamics of the events. Who knows, you could get hooked and end up choosing a track discipline to compete in! |
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Take 2 riders, both with identical bikes, riding at the same power output and assume they have the same frontal area.
Rider 1 plus bike weighs 85kgs and rider 2 is 5kgs lighter. Now, let's send them on test rides:
Test 1, Terrain : Flat road
Distance : 2km
Power : 250 Watts
Rider 1 distance deficit :
6.5m
Rider 1 time deficit : 0.6 seconds
Test 2, Terrain : 3% Gradient (shallow)
Distance : 2km
Power : 250 Watts
Rider 1 distance deficit :
64m
Rider 1 time deficit : 9 seconds
Test 3, Terrain : 6% Gradient (moderate)
Distance : 2km
Power : 250 Watts
Rider 1 distance deficit :
100m
Rider 1 time deficit : 22.5 seconds
An exponential problem. The steeper the climb, the faster the gap opens. In this example, we are only looking at a 5kg difference between 2 riders.
I can tell you that it's easier to lose 5kgs of excess bodyfat than it is to train up the extra power needed to match the speed of a lighter rider on a 6% gradient.
Many riders use the run up to December and January for their 'off season', why? This is a recipe for weight gain and performance loss but it's pretty common practice.
You've trained hard for your gains, leaned up a little and if you follow this type of 'off season' plan, you will give it all back. If you are carrying some extra weight, now is a perfect time to not only improve your power and performance, it's also time to shed the kilos and hit Januray 2011 leaner and faster! Keep training and see the positive adaptations that occur with your cycling performance.
Mark Carroll
 Level 2 Cycling Coach |
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