"103 to 108 rpms in the big sprints in the 12"

Can you spin faster than that, say 120?

that's just from the data in my last couple power files from crits and group rides with the city limit sprint point, so to get to 120 i'd probably need the 13. Will test it out next time I do a sprint workout, which I have not really put into the program yet. Maybe a follow on question is what RPMs should you be holding for max power & speed?

not to sound like a dick, but having done big time road racing before i became a tri dud, the more obvious answer is that you go into the 11 when you can do so in a manner that wins/places/podiums/in-the-money's, etc. you the race. there are too many variables such as leadout, hills, wind, etc. that to rely on watts, etc. is meaningless. you push the biggest gear that gets you to the line the fastest. this comes through years of timing.

in the midwest, for years, we would all wait for Robbie Ventura (Floyd Landis' coach) to downshift, because that was [u][b]the[/b][/u] moment of the race. this is why on your local group rides, you should practice a variety of techniques to see if you are a long sprinter like Mario Cippolini who needs a long leadout or are you a last minute leg speed guy like Oscar Friere. either way, a variety of speedwork, hilll sprints, fix gear riding, and group rides will provide you with better answers than RPM/watts ever will. best of luck.

seamus

Every sprint is different. Uphill, downhill, into and with the wind ,100 guys two up, 200 meters to 1k out. No magic gear. I do know the fast ones will always have 1 more speed than I ever had. The real men sprinters can get 120-150 rpms in a hurry. It isn't that their top speed is faster than yours (although it may be) but how fast you can get it up to 40 ish mph from 28 that wins sprints.
I would practice anywhere from 85-105 gear inches. So often your gear depends on the above variables and how fresh your legs are. Usually the guy with the freshest legs is hard to beat. I know sometimes I have had to sprint in 53 12 or 13 because that was the only gear I could reach the last 50 meters with the group in. So I was pretty much redlined before the actual dash in the last 200 or so. That is where the motorpacing can really help. Learning to come out of the draft at 35ish and go faster.
I think the best thing to help your sprint is to race a lot of crits cause you get to practice jumps and sprints all day long.

thx for the advice

so far, things are starting to click better than last year

And if you can ride the track, you'll get FAR more schooling in sprint tactics in a hurry than you will racing a full season of crits... It's not always about the gearing. More often it's about the timing and the jump.

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Speed is the answer, being able to quickly increase cadence, keeping the same torque, effectively raising power output.

And timing. :)

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I think 103-108 is too high an rpm for a sprint. You should get an 11t. 103-108 rpm is a spin, a sprint should be a mad mash.

You could always go the Petacchi route and push a 54 tooth ring on the front if you don't want to get a new cassette. 54x12 seems like plenty of gear.

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Michael in Fresno
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