Long time ago I published an article about how to win a bunch sprint. I told you to pick your parents carefully, be patient, get in position and finally be strong.
Winning a mass sprint in a cycling race is not only about big muscles and genes. There are some simple steps that will help you to get more succesful when cycling races end up with a mass sprint.
If I should give you 3 magic words that will bring you better results in mass sprints it would be position, position and position.
I know that this simplistic description is not that helpful, so I can only recommend you to read this nice article from CyclingTipsBlog.com covering 7 common mistakes that riders make in a sprint finish.
Being aware of these 7 common mistakes can reduce the risk of blowing up your chances in a mass sprint:
1. Shifting into the 53-11T (or some gear far too big) right away
2. Starting your sprint far too early
3. Being too far back in the pack when the sprint starts
4. Being at the very front of the pack too far before the finish line
5. Coming underneath on the final corner
6. Boxing yourself in
7. Dropping the wheel
I would like to add the following quite common sprinting mistakes:
8. Staying behind a rider who doesn’t try to win the sprint.
9. Spending too much energy before the final sprint
10. Not being aware of wind conditions
Do you have more tips that should be included in this list with common sprint mistakes?
