How do I improve my short distance sprints? (Cycling)

bjdw_1977

This Strava segment is a 310 meter sprint on a slight decline. My speed isn't getting any faster. Is it just a matter of doing more sprinting on my training rides? Or should I go learn how to use the squat rack?

This segment is on the way back into town so I almost only ever do it at the end of a long ride. Should I just go out there fresh and do repeats until I smash it? Is that cheating?

KOM is 17 seconds.

NorthCascades

There's no such thing as cheating without a motor or dope. Go out when you're fresh, and on a day with a tail wind. A lot of KOMs involve drafting. If you're feeling brave and your insurance is paid up, draft a car, ideally with a friend driving.

There's some controversy over whether lifting is any help in road cycling. While squats are all kinds of great, they're probably not the answer to this.

How's your aero? Posture, kit, the whole nine. A friend did a lot of testing and found that unzipping the top 3/4 inch of your jersey costs about 10w at the speeds you're talking about. It's really hard to get 10 more watts through training.

sijomial

Tackling the segment fresh and making that sprint the goal of that particular ride will yield far quicker results than anything else - except maybe catching a draft off a truck stacked high with hay....

Which may or may not have been a factor in a remarkable improvement on one particular segment.

A lot of KOMs are set by people getting a lead out, or a strong following wind etc. etc.

jasonpoihegatama

You would of heard about type 1 and 2 fibers also known fast and slow twitch fibers as i guess this is why you are asking this question. I'm sure whether you jump in the squat rack or not depends on the km of your bike rides? but there will be a whole lot of factors to take into play.