If you're going for segment times, you're pretty much spot on! Drafting is a huge benefit on Zwift. In my experience, the aero power up is faster in more situations than the lorry. But in a big group, I'm sure it's pretty much even. Hitting the start line at max speed is absolutely the best way to maximize your segment times. Hammer it!

@@wattswheelhouse thank you! An added advantage of the lorry is that it lasts longer (30s), so I can use it during the build-up and during the whole sprint. With the aero, there's a double-whammy - I have to activate it just as I'm trying to put the hammer down (because it only lasts 15s), and then I have to watch it trickle down to nothing before I get to the line. ;-)

@@davidrowe8747 Ahh yes. That 30 seconds is something I forgot about.

Thanks! Such kind words! I'm still a beginner at editing, but I appreciate you watching and commenting! Hope to join you again for a race soon!

That's great to hear! Zwift sprinting is pretty unique, but with a bit of targeted work, we can all hit big watts!

Glad I could help! I'll try to upload more soon. Editing takes me a long time

Thanks for your kind words! I'm more of a livestreamer ( twitch.tv/WATTsWHEELHOUSE), and I'm still new to editing videos. I have a collection of ideas for future videos, but it's very time consuming for me, so stay tuned! Keep sprinting!

@@wattswheelhouse I am sure that as soon as you get these ideas rolling on your videos, your channel will be a hit! cheering for that success!!! ✊

Thanks! Lots of the stability comes from years of practicing standing starts on the track, as well as spinning fast on the rollers!

You're welcome!

A 100w improvement the first time out is great! Keep at it and you'll be setting big PRs and breaking hearts in no time!

Many thanks! That's high praise coming from you! I'm just glad I haven't had to sprint against you lately!

Haha thank you! I'm just trying to get some wattage on my FTP since the damn WTRL pace is insane! After that, I'll sure try to come back on Laguardia and try to give you a little bit of challenge :P

@@jean-christophebeaulieu4726 I wanted to let you know I made a short of you beating me in a monster sprint! kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ra-GpdRyt7mddGQ.html

@@wattswheelhouse Just saw that! That race ending was my best 30 sec power ever and I really had to do it to being able to beat you... and you know, double draft when you're in front.. Nice montage too! The music is just perfect.

Thanks! Upgrading is always a tough transition, isn't it? Keep sprinting! When PD4 was first unrolled, I had my doubts. I feel pretty accustomed to it now. I'll try to get more content out soon!

Thanks!

Shifting while sprinting is definitely something I have to work on. I haven't found a way to do it while maintaining consistent speed. I suppose that's why I like track cycling. For me on Zwift, starting a sprint at 90rpm wouldn't give me enough headroom to increase my cadence into before I'd need to shift. My strength lies in muscling a big gear up to speed, and I don't have to ease up into another gear. It might be a different story on a Kickr bike though! When you shift in a sprint, does the resistance drastically increase? I feel like that might throw off the rhythm of the sprint, but I've never tried a smart bike, so I don't know. Jakobsen is absolutely a world class road sprinter, but I don't think road sprinting is the best technique for Zwift. I can hit huge numbers if I spin up from 90rpm, but I lose it all when I have to shift or when I hit my sprint cadence ceiling, both come pretty quick on a stationary trainer. So spinning up from 60-70 has been much more effective for me on Zwift.

@@wattswheelhouse Yes when you virtually shift the resistance increases instantly. No need to ease up. In full sprint I time it that my strongest leg is on top, then tap the shifter. I find it a bit easier starting with 90 rpm to 125 then shift and am at roughly 110 to go to 120 again. Most races at the end I feel too fatigued to go down to 70 rpm and get that gear going quickly. Would be cool if you could do some A-B testing video, what would be your peak power? Interesting stuff!

I find that if I'm sprinting properly, my trainer stays put pretty well. I do have to reposition it every few rides, as after a few hard sprints it'll travel a bit. It's an Elite direto XR, and it's base is much wider than others I've used. Though, if I do hard standing starts, I need to readjust it after every effort.

I currently use an Elite Direto trainer. I've had it for about a year, and it's been good for my sprinting. I was on a "wheel on" smart trainer before, and struggled with tire traction and trainer response time for punchy efforts. Prior to that, I used a fluid trainer with my Assioma Duo power meter pedals, and that was a fantastic setup. 1kw is a great goal to have! Spin it up!

For accessory work, I'll do things like hip thrusts and barbell rows. Nothing too heavy though. My main focus is always the power lifts. For recovery, I find full rest to be best for a few reasons. First, my sprint workouts on and off the bike typically leave my legs needing a day off. Second, unless it's indoors in erg mode, we often don't stick to the zone we're supposed to be in. I'll shoot for 80-90% of 1rm for 3-5 reps, and I'll do sets until I feel drive suffer(4-5). Long rest between heavy sets as well.

@@wattswheelhouse thanks a lot!

@@wattswheelhouse Can you explain "Hip thrusts"? ...Also I think barbel rows is 2 dumbels held on the side and you bend down and then up? I am not a gym rat and do know much of these terms. Which machine is "Power lift"? Thanks!

This is an Elite direto XR, and it shifts a little. I try to keep from swaying the bike side to side like a road sprinter and focus more on spinning fast like the track sprinter I am!

Hey thanks! For the initial rev up, hips should be forward of the BB. As your cadence raises, your hips should gradually shift back a bit to help maintain a smooth spin. What's your sprinting cadence?

@@wattswheelhouse thanks for replying!!!!! 120 usually. Ohhhhh like track sprinting. That would make sense. The hingeing back I’ll have to try to remember that after coming forward to get that power

@@Zwiftsushi you got it! When on track, I'll end up in the saddle spinning away once I'm on top of the gear. But with the bike held in place by a trainer, I find I can stay out of the saddle a bit longer since I don't need to worry about maintaining control of the bike.

53x12 and 53x11

You're welcome! I regularly put lots of torque through my road and track bikes, and have yet to see a failure. I do periodically inspect components, hardware condition, and torque though. Better safe than sorry!

Oh man, timing is so tough on Zwift! You really have to know the course, your competitors, and yourself. Pack dynamics have changed lots since I made this video as well, and I haven't been racing much lately. I don't think I'd be much help! You breakaway specialists are wild. Such grit!

Thanks! Cadence is key. Getting it spun up fast and getting on top of the gear will produce the best results. Gradually work your way up to big gears. I do lots of cadence drills on rollers with very little resistance, to be comfortable at very high rpm (200+). Once a smooth pedal stroke is achieved at high rpm, work up to bigger gears. This can take a long time, months or years even. For these quick spin-ups, I set trainer difficulty to 0% in Zwift, because I want every sprint to feel exactly the same. Good luck!

@@wattswheelhouse just did a session practicing a few things, 15min warmup cadence drills 110+ 1 min then 80- 90 2min repeat then onto max sprint to 130rpm on 53/19/18/17 5 min recovery, came up with pretty much same numbers 130rpm about 1080 watts peak power. is it a case of getting 130rpm down to 53/13/12/11 to generate that 13-1400 w power any advice appreciated!

@@RobBZwift absolutely. For more wattage, you'll have to increase force through the pedals at the same cadence, or increase cadence at the same force; ideally both. This assumes that one's technique is already dialed in. It takes a lot of work in the gym to increase force, so for most cyclists, cadence is usually a quicker route to better sprint power. I'm going to make another video outlining some useful sprint specific cadence work, so stay tuned!

@@wattswheelhouse spot on and appreciate the time in writing back! maybe ive hit the limit with output of my legs! time to get back on the weights to compliment the cadence :) will keep working on it tho and look forward to the video thanks alot!

@@Mason no unfortunately have not improved in power numbers as have been concentrating on more longer efforts however have noticed exactly as you say the resistance dropping after a short time going to play with trainer difficulty what's yours set to?

It's never too late! Strength training can really be a slog, especially at first. But if you can get into a routine, it becomes much more tolerable. Having a gym buddy really helps as well. 1900+ is pretty standard for me in a fresh standing start or quick spinup. Don't ask me to do those numbers at the end of a race though! Haha

I don't think anybody likes to shift during a sprint, but sometimes it needs to happen. Coming from track cycling, where we race on fixed gear, I am very accustomed to a wide range of cadences. So I try not to shift in a sprint. But if I need to shift during a sprint, I always back off the power just a bit to ensure a positive gear change.

@@wattswheelhouse thanks, any advise you give..I Listen!!

Oh I only call this a "sprint race" because it's so short. It's a regular race, just really short!

@@wattswheelhouse i will try one on the C level. i´ve tried one for the tour the zwift but it was 47km and i was toasted.

Gahhh! My weakness!

Yes, pull up on them as hard as you can each time you're pushing down on the pedals. This is only for the first few pedal strokes though. Once the pedals are turning sufficiently quick (rpm will vary depending on the rider), it is no longer efficient to focus on pushing the pedals hard. At that point, focusing on maintaining a high cadence is the best way to achieve maximum power output! Thank you!

@@wattswheelhouse interesting, i was just pushing the pedals all the way.

@@ronm7114 from what I've seen, that's very common. Especially when it comes to indoor cycling. I often see folks struggling to grind out 900-1000w at 75-85 rpm. The amount of force needed to produce really high wattage at such a low rpm is staggering. Building an efficient, high cadence pedal stroke goes a long way to cultivating a respectable sprint.

@@wattswheelhouse tx

Thank you! Deadlifting is a great exercise that you don't need a partner for. It is very important to consult a trainer before starting a lifting routine though, as improper form can cause injury.

@@wattswheelhouse thank you very much. You in America?

@@jeffcreed2539 I am! Up in the sandy, salty northeast

@@wattswheelhouse Nice...I am from Mass.

If your cadence is increasing and your power is decreasing, it's not you. If your cadence is increasing, and wattage is decreasing, then the trainer is decreasing resistance for some reason. I ran into that problem with my old wheel on trainer (bkool). I'd rather sprint on a dumb trainer with a power meter than a smart trainer that kills my sprints. It honestly sounds like a hardware issue.

FYI I'm on an Elite Direto XR, with Favero Assioma duo pedals for dual recording purposes.

@@wattswheelhouse Yup, three different Wahoo Kickrs with the same issue. I'm on the v5 now, and no difference from the previous models I've had. I have friends on older model Kickrs without issues; when you look at their sprint power graph it's like a smoothly rounded hill. You look at mine and it looks like a right angle drawing, high at the front and trailing steeply off to the side. The only way I've found to counteract the problem, and maintain the torque on the flywheel, is to start off in 52/14, then drop to 13, and if I have anything left, down to 12. But that's just too much gear changing under power, and a recipe for disaster.

@@wattswheelhouse Here's a video of my last race (I'm the DRAFT rider). Note how the power peaks then drops off a cliff : kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hNOBibpp0p3SnJs.html

@@EnigmaticAnomaly nice race! 4th is a good result with all those sprinting for it! It would really help to have a camera capture to show your pedals/bike, but from just the raw data on screen, I'll say that you must have iron quads to be maintaining a sprint like that at around 90rpm! Higher cadence will really bring that wattage up. When I'm on track, my best sprints happen around 130rpm. On the trainer, the lack of momentum typically keeps my sprints below 120rpm. But I always aim for at least 110rpm, and my main focus is spinning higher instead of pushing harder. Years of riding rollers and sprinting on a fixed gear bike have conditioned me to be comfortable at high rpm, and I think it would really benefit you as well! Take the force your legs can produce and get them spinning smoothly at 110rpm, and you'd be crushing fields! I'm in the process of making a cadence drills video right now. Stay tuned!