Are you a sprinter?

But seriously ..What is a sprinter?  Track cycling sprint events are primarily speed-endurance events.  The word "endurance" is used here although not in a sense that most cyclists would expect.  Most sprint events are over in less than a minute, and most efforts significantly shorter in duration than that.  Sprinters need more endurance than Olympic weightlifters but less endurance than a 400 meter track and field athlete (except for kilo riders, but they're a very special breed indeed).

How do you know if you're cut out to be a sprinter?  You'll need to be strong, you'll need to have explosive power and most importantly, you'll need to want to go fast.  Really fast.  If you're allergic to hills, that might help a little too.  There's no cut and dry criteria, desire is probably the most important aspect of being a sprinter but genetics do play a part.  If you prefer cross country running to a quick dash across the school oval then you're an enduro, but if beating your friends over the first 40 metres of a dash to the fridge gets your heart racing, sprint could be for you.