It's all in your head

To sprint well and to train to sprint well requires a level of commitment unusual in many other sports.  Our efforts are done at 100% almost all the time.  That's 100% of what we can do at the time.  When you do a standing start, it's all out.  A flying 50, again, all out.  When you race a flying 200, a 500m time trial you don't pace yourself, you give it everything.  We race, and train, at 100%.  This is something that can take many years to develop.  Being able to bury yourself every time you do a short effort is an art in itself and one you will need to learn if you are to be a successful sprinter.

This means that our recovery must include mental recovery as much as physical.  Our roadie chums can go on long easy road rides, tap out their E3 intervals etc without too much mental fatigue, but we burn very bright every time we strap into our pedals and if we're not careful, we burn out.