Criteriums are very popular among cyclists. They can be found everywhere and at every level. These races typically last from half an hour to two hours, consisting of short laps around an industrial estate or through a village. The intensity during these races is extremely high; even before the final sprint, hundreds of high-power efforts are performed. Whether you are accelerating after a corner, maintaining your position in the group, or participating in a prime sprint, there is no doubt that criteriums require a significant effort.
Traditionally, many cyclists train at high intensity for these criteriums, but too many of these efforts can lead to decreased performance and even overtraining. Athletes sometimes forget that the efforts they make in a race also serve as training stimuli.
Intensive intervals are often used to improve sprint performance
During a criterium, one sprint quickly follows another. To train for this, short repeated sprints are often performed. Sets of 10-second sprints followed by 10 seconds of rest, or 15/15 and even 30/30 intervals for a set duration, are commonly used. These sets improve your anaerobic capacity and can also increase your VO2max.
The above-mentioned sets are ideal for improving criterium performance, but their physiological cost is very high. Training at this intensity extends recovery time and reduces endurance capacity. Additionally, it conditions the body to rapidly deplete glycogen stores (carbohydrate reserves in the muscles and liver), affecting anaerobic capacity.
Are intensive intervals really the best choice for improving sprint performance?
Adequate recovery time (supercompensation) between training stimuli is essential for performance improvement. Many cyclists compete in multiple criteriums per week and also want to improve their sprinting or acceleration after a corner through intensive training. However, since recovery after a criterium or an intensive training session takes much longer, many cyclists fail to give their bodies sufficient rest, leading to a downward spiral in performance. It is common to see cyclists start the season strong but gradually decline in performance as the season progresses.
Ideally, you should deliver your best performance at the end of a race when the decisive moments occur. However, many cyclists experience a significant power drop during a criterium. Well-trained cyclists generate their highest power outputs at the end of a criterium. Performing too many intensive intervals in training teaches the body to deplete glycogen stores quickly. As glycogen levels decrease, the power output a cyclist can sustain drops significantly, including sprint power.
What is the best training approach to improve criterium performance?
Understanding the best way to train for a criterium requires some knowledge of human physiology. To keep it simple, I will explain it in an easy-to-understand way.
Repeated sprints play a crucial role in criteriums. During a sprint, the muscle cell largely depletes its fuel tank and then refills it after the effort. The ATP-Creatine Phosphate system provides rapid energy to the muscle cell during sprints but requires some time to recover before the next sprint. Therefore, energy for a new sprint must come from another source.
In the mitochondria (the energy factories of the cell), a larger supply of creatine phosphate is available. This supply is produced through an aerobic process (oxidative phosphorylation). Thanks to this aerobic process, the muscle cell's fuel tank can be quickly replenished during repeated sprints. The most exciting part of this process is that training can increase the number of energy factories (mitochondria) and enhance the efficiency of the processes occurring within them. This is also why cyclists who excel at repeated sprints tend to have a high power output at their threshold (also known as VT2 or FTP).
A cyclist looking to improve their sprinting ability might instinctively think they need to do more sprints in training. However, because criterium sprints occur in rapid succession, there is also an aerobic component involved. This means that improving your threshold power is a more effective way to enhance criterium performance.
Effective criterium training
The intensive sprint training sessions that many cyclists do to prepare for criteriums can provide a significant fitness boost if they already have a solid base and are well-rested. These workouts are particularly useful in the final two to three weeks before the season begins, as they help optimise race form. This approach enhances anaerobic sprint power without compromising the aerobic base, which is essential for sustaining repeated sprints.
During pre-season training, there is little benefit to performing intensive sprint workouts. Instead, focusing on building a strong aerobic base is crucial. During this period, incorporating a few short sprints with ample rest can help refine sprint coordination. Explosiveness and high cadence should be the primary focus. Additionally, adding a few sprints can make endurance rides more engaging.
Throughout the criterium season, intensive sprint training—where one sprint follows another—occurs naturally within races. A race itself serves as a training stimulus. During this phase, post-race recovery is crucial for maintaining peak fitness. Recovery from a criterium can take 48–72 hours. If there is a long gap between criteriums, it is more beneficial to work on your threshold power by doing endurance training or sub-threshold interval blocks (sweet spot training).
If you are unsure whether you are following the right training approach, a personalised cycling training plan can help you improve your criterium performance.
Schlattner, U., Tokarska-Schlattner, M., & Wallimann, T. (2006). Mitochondrial creatine kinase in human health and disease. Biochimica et biophysica acta, 1762(2), 164–180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbadis.2005.09.004
Lowery, M. R., Tomkinson, G. R., Peterson, B. J., & Fitzgerald, J. S. (2018). The relationship between ventilatory threshold and repeated-sprint ability in competitive male ice hockey players. Journal of exercise science and fitness, 16(1), 32–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesf.2018.03.003
