A century of competition has shown us that a finishing sprint is an invaluable asset for a roadman. While it's no good having a terrific sprint if you're never there at the finish, you're equally unlikely to win if you always get to the finish with the leaders but five out of six of them can outsprint you. It's not just the finish either: you'll want to bridge gaps, go for the occasional prime, perhaps.

To some extent sprinters, like climbers, are born, not made. The fastest sprinters have a predominance (as much as 75%)of Type II muscle fibres. These are described as 'white, fast-twitch' fibres. They have a high anaerobic capacity, but a low aerobic capacity – they fatigue quickly. Physiologists sub-divide them into types IIA and IIB. Endurance riders on the other hand start off with a predominance of Type I 'red slow-twitch' fibres which can 'fire' repeatedly without fatiguing. So if you've got mostly Type II, you'll have a hell of a kick for 200 metres, but may get shelled out long before the finish: you're Florian Rousseau. Mostly Type I (70%) and you can go on for ever at one pace, but acceleration may be a bit sluggish: you're Miguel Indurain.

Fortunately this isn't the end of the story. With training you can increase the effectiveness of your muscle fibres, whatever type they are. And winning the sprint at the end of a road race isn't just down to muscle fibres: other factors come into play. They include general fitness, freshness, conviction and determination, economic riding, skilful placement in the group, judgement, and so on. Obviously the condition of the other riders is also important.

Training
Your aim, as a road rider, is to improve you anaerobic capacity. You train for sprinting by sprinting. There are infinite ways. I knew a man back in the sixties who used to ride up and down the A38 near Worcester (no motorway then) sprinting after lorries which came past at around 40 mph, dropping off, sprinting up to them again, then resting and waiting for the next. In Mallorca or Spain bridging a 200-metre gap up to a motor-scooter doing around 35 mph is good. Once a week do a training ride like this: half an hour warm-up, then 6 – 10 absolutely flat-out sprints of only 5 seconds each, with a 2-minute rest spinning a low gear in between. Warm down for half an hour on the way back. The idea is that it's not very fatiguing, but it's surprisingly effective. Really murderous, but excellent for developing anaerobic power, are hill sprints of 1 – 2 minutes on a medium gradient, absolutely riding yourself into the ground. If you're going hard enough six should be about all you can manage, even when you're properly fit.

Another power-builder is to find a dip with half-mile slopes either side. Dive down the one and go flat out on a high gear up the other side. Rest for a minute, then repeat in the other direction. Give up when someone calls an ambulance.

Avoid wasting energy: don't throw the bike all over the road, keep your elbows tucked in and arms pulling up and back, not outwards. Practise sprints sitting down and out of the saddle. The important thing is to think of yourself as someone who can sprint, not a no-hoper. You can improve.

To learn how to cope with the other riders in a sprint you have to train in a group, such as a weekly chaingang. Your circuit needs to have a few known sprint signs built in. Don't practise sitting in to save yourself – you can do that in races, but not on the chaingang. You need to know how far you can go flat out without fading before the line.

Don't look round. Get into the habit of focusing on the line and forgetting everything else. You can see where everyone else is after you've won.

Racing
Recently a 'coach' told me: 'I always tell the lads, never start a sprint flat-out, because then you've got nowhere to go'. I couldn't disagree more. If you're not totally committed, then it's not a sprint. If you can take two lengths by jumping at 200 metres, then it's going to take a very strong, fast rider to catch you and then get past.

The way to ride the sprint will vary widely according to the circumstances and the strengths of the riders you're with. If you can get a lead-out, all well and good; but don't be afraid to go from the front. With modern gear systems you can afford to start off in a lower gear and change up during your sprint.

Many riders in vets races try to sprint in too high a gear. Those Continental pros in the 53/12 or 54/11 are already doing close to 40 when they jump. A 55-year-old coming into the finish with a group doing 23 mph needs to start on something lower, say 53/15 or even 16 if it's slightly uphill or into a headwind. If it's a real hill then you may have to be on the little ring. Incidentally, you can accelerate slightly faster on a small ring/small sprocket combination than on a big ring/big sprocket.

During the race ride as economically as possible. That doesn't mean sitting in the back and doing nothing all race. If you do, nobody will love you, some may even call you names, and, worse, you could miss the vital move.

On the run-in prepare your sprint. Relax as much as is possible, don't do very long turns on the front, make sure your shoes are tightly done up, take a drink five miles out. Choose the rider whose wheel you want to be on. Ride well into the side so that you can see everyone behind you from the corner of your eye. Consider the direction of the wind: it will be easier to come past someone if you're in shelter. On the other hand, taking the hard route may be effective if you're strong, because nobody else will want to attack into the wind. Keep your nerve: on long straight approaches it's easy to go too early and die.