Endurance Requirement for a Kilo racer?

Originally Posted by Billsworld

You California boys and your 60 degree winter days

Originally Posted by acoggan

(I could even calculate a percentage for you from a regression equation I developed as part of my masters thesis, but it would only be an estimate since the correlation, while high, certainly isn't perfect).

Originally Posted by Billsworld

I only have the terrain close to my house right now..... Mostly at night and cold too..... I am lucky to be on the roads at all. The other day I was sprinting and it started snowing.... You California boys and your 60 degree winter days Ill try a few things when I get to Fla in a couple of weeks; first being shorts. My best max of a standing start last year was 36mph, compared to 38.5mph off a jump. I have gotten better since then, but I have been farting around with crank lenght an gearing. Geeze I would kill for a local coach. Thanks Warren

Originally Posted by acoggan

I happened to stumble across my old lab notebook, so couldn't resist doing this for the rider whose data Fergie posted.

Max power = 1529 W
Power @ 30 s = 575 W
% decline in power (fatigue index) = 62%
Estimated percentage of type II fibers = 81+/-10%

Originally Posted by Billsworld

No wonder that track coach is chasing that guy around. He sounds like a very gifted all around rider.

Originally Posted by SolarEnergy

Seems that you weren't that far from the thruth Bill. You may not need that much o2 training after all. Though I read the whole thread, and I still can't fix my mind.

Anyone would have some general guide line recommendations for kilo training?

Originally Posted by fergie

Pity he has never ridden Kilo at Worlds or World Cup but has several World Cup Medals from IP, one Gold in Madison and 2-3 Gold in Teams Pursuit.

Interesting to note that he hasn't done the same miles as many of the other team pursuit riders and has been prone to cracking after his fourth turn. As the best Kilo rider he does start the team which adds extra work. In January he was really cranking the miles (650-800km per week) as well as doing 3-4 interval sessions a week so will see if this improves his endurance over the whole ride.

Your note that he does a Pro road season in the US and can then belt out fast Kilos is interesting. In NZ nearly everyone rides track and all our top road riders came from the track. I have noted that most riders can do a lot of road racing and still jump on the track and get pretty close to their PB times.

Hamish Ferguson
Cycling Coach

Originally Posted by Billsworld

The right parents and good coaching are a big help too. I am not sure of your boys bodyweight, but this guy could most likely match sprint too....Freak

Originally Posted by fergie

81kg but I think his max power is way off and while very muscular by comparison to other elite pursuiters he is small by comparison to World level sprinters and may also be behind the mark power wise to match it in sprinting.

Using Andy's power to weight chart he is world class in 5sec and 1min power but slips down to exceptional for 5min power and very good for FT. As mentioned not sure about his 5sec power but the 1min power makes for a good Kilo and should explain his ability in team pursuits.

As for training. Hmmm, depends on the rider as Warren mentioned if they are a sprinter in which case they may need some more aerobic work while the pursuiter trying to go fast will need to develop their anaerobic capacity some more.

Sadly once the Kilo drops out of the Olympics this once great event will die a slow death.

Hamish Ferguson
Cycling Coach

Originally Posted by Graham McA

Hi guys,

My first post here. I don't usually join in these things, just lurk in the background, but this thread has brought me out.

Its important to realise that the kilo is not a sprint nor is it an endurance event. It's halfway between sprint and endurance. The old endurance-based training for kilo I have been reading about in this thread will work, but it will only get you to 1:03 at best and you may be able to pump out 1:03s all day, but the bench mark for today’s kilo is under 1:01. Soon it will be under 1:00 (in Beijing?)

If you are not an elite athlete, and I assume most who visit these boards are not, then if you followed the endurance-based training for the kilo, the best you could hope for would be about the 1:07s.

The fastest first 500m wins the kilo at the elite level today. It used to be won by the guy who could ride the fastest last lap, not anymore. If you want to go out in 18.6, then your standing lap better be 18.3 or better or else 18.6 is going to bury you.

The question was asked about pacing in the kilo. You have to pace the kilo, but you have to get out fast and get up to speed fast. For the three years leading up to Athens, Shane Kelly trained as a pure sprinter for half the year then as a sprinter for three or four days and an enduro for three or four days. He improved from consistent 1:03s where he had been for many years to 1:01 changing him from a fourth lap rider to a first lap rider and he broke the Olympic record. (Then he got beaten by three riders who did pretty much the same thing - and they all made their winning time in the first 500).

The very rare riders who win sprint and kilo generally do so at soft comps and are generally long sprinter freaks. You can't train to be a freak. You are born a freak and are always a freak, whether you train or not. That's not a bad thing. It's a good thing.



Most track cycling events are speed endurance. To win you need to go faster for longer than the other guy. Some riders are better at faster, some are better at longer, but they generally need a bit of both. To have speed endurance, first you need to develop speed. If you can't ride 5.0 for a flying 100m, you won't ride 10.1 for a 200m. If you can’t ride a standing lap under 18.5, or repeat 3 flying laps at 14 per lap, you want do a 1:01 kilo.

Speed is hard to train and takes a long time. Endurance is easy by comparison and can be just thrown in at the end of the specific preparation phase. To get up to speed, you need acceleration and that means power. Power is a combination of strength and speed. The speed part you get on the track, the strength you get in the gym. Low cadence power (0-120rpm or so) can be trained in the gym too, but high cadence power (120-200rpm) is too fast to do in the gym and you generally need to be chasing a maniac on a motorbike to increase that.
Aerobic Capacity (VO2max, AT) is the base for enduros, but strength is the base for sprint and kilo.


- ciao

Originally Posted by Billsworld

Hey Solar.......What he said. I wish I could take credit for this post

Originally Posted by Billsworld

From a newbie view of track cycling, the kilo is a great event. Maybe the best one. I cant imagine that I am all that good at it right now, but it seems to showcase the total ability of the cyclist. (The persuit a close second. ) I personaly like the match sprint, but that coz of all the years in the gym.