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Asprinter is aroad bicycle racer ortrack racer who can finish a race very explosively byaccelerating quickly to a high speed,[1][2] often using theslipstream ofanother cyclist or group of cyclists tactically to conserve energy.[3]
Apart from using sprinting as a racing tactic, sprinters can also compete for intermediate sprints (sometimes calledprimes), often to provide additional excitement in cities along the route of a race. In stage races, intermediate sprints and final stage placings may be combined in apoints classification. For example, in thepoints classification in the Tour de France, themaillot vert (green jersey) is won by the race's most consistent sprinter. At the Tour de France, the most successful recipient of this honor isSlovak sprinterPeter Sagan, who has won sevenTour de France green jerseys (2012–2016, 2018–2019).
Sprinters have a higher ratio of fast-twitch muscle fibers than non-sprinters. Road cycling sprinters sometimes tend to have a larger build than the average road racing cyclist,[4] combining the strength of their legs with their upper body to produce a short burst of speed necessary in a closely contested finish.[5] Some sprinters have a high top speed but may take a longer distance to achieve it, while others can produce short and sharp accelerations. Aerodynamics plays a key role in sprints.[6]
A sprinter is usually heavier, limiting their speed advantage to relatively flat sections.[4] It is therefore not uncommon for sprinters to be dropped by thepeloton (also known as the 'bunch' or 'pack') if a race is through hilly terrain.
Sprinters may have different preferences. Some prefer a longer "launch" while others prefer to 'draft' orslipstream behind their teammates or opponents before accelerating in the final meters. Some prefer slight uphill finishes, while others prefer downhill finishes.
In conventional road races, sprinters may bide their time waiting until the last few hundred metres before putting on a burst of speed to win the race. Many races will finish with a large group sprinting for the win; some sprinters may haveteam-mates, so-calleddomestiques 'leading them out' (i.e., keeping pace high and sheltering the sprinter) so that they have a greater chance of finishing in the leading positions.[3] These teammates tend to "peel off" one by one as they tire; the last teammate is known as the "lead-out sprinter" and the best of them are excellent sprinters in their own right.
Several of theClassic one day races, for exampleMilan–San Remo orParis–Tours, tend to favour sprinters because of their long distance and relatively flat terrain. A long day of racing does not benefit a sprinter per se, but very long stages or one day races tend to preclude successful breakaways and otherwise aggressive racing, ensuring the race will come down to a bunch sprint. Most editions of these races end in a bunch sprint, often won by racers also successful in the points classification at stage races. Stronger sprinters with abilities in hilly terrain or on cobblestones also have good prospects of winning theArdennes classics or theCobbled classics respectively.
The first great pure sprinter in theTour de France was FrenchmanCharles Pélissier[7] who won eight stages in the1930 Tour de France, still a record (shared withEddy Merckx andFreddy Maertens). A year later, Pélissier battled with Italian sprinterRaffaele di Paco in one of the first major sprinter clashes. Both won five stages. In the1941 Vuelta a España,Delio Rodríguez won 12 stages, followed by 8 the next year. He even managed to win the Overall Classification a few years later.
Another successful sprinter of theinterbellum was French allrounderAndré Leducq. Although he could do more than sprint alone, including winning stage races (winning theTour de France twice) and classics, 15 of his total 25 stage victories in the Tour were in bunch sprints.
André Darrigade is considered as the greatest French sprinter of all time. He won 22 stages in theTour de France and twice thePoints classification. He also built his legend by winning titles ahead of major cyclists, as the 1955French National Championship ahead ofLouison Bobet and the 1956Giro di Lombardia ahead ofFausto Coppi. He finished on the podium of theWorld Championship 4 times in a row and won the title in 1959.
Freddy Maertens only participated in six grand tours but took home the Points Jersey on four occasions, winning 12 of his 15 Tour de France stage wins in a bunch sprint. Hisonly participation in Vuelta a España in 1977 resulted not only in a record 13 stage wins, but also in the win of the general classification. Just five days after finishing the Vuelta, he went on race theGiro d'Italia, where he won 7 stages before having to abandon the race after a crash halfway through the race.[8]
As the sport of cycling progressed into one of more specialized riders in the 1980s, bunch sprints became the arena of specialists – pure sprinters likeGuido Bontempi,Jean-Paul van Poppel andMario Cipollini, all focusing primarily on sprint stages, with other riders (classics specialists, time trialists, climbers etc.) aiming for victories in other types of stages. Cipollini holds the record for most stage wins in theGrand Tours as a sprinter; 57, of which 42 were in theGiro d'Italia. Fellow Italian sprinterAlessandro Petacchi (48 stage wins) won stages and the Points Classification in all three grand tours, including 20 stage wins in theVuelta. The record for stage wins in the Vuelta belongs toDelio Rodríguez, with 39 wins.Mark Cavendish was named the Tour de France's best sprinter of all time by French paperL'Équipe on July 15, 2012. His tally currently stands on 52 individual stage wins in Grand Tours, 35[9][10] of which have been bunch sprints in the Tour de France.
Erik Zabel won a record nine points classifications: six in theTour de France and three in theVuelta a España. Of the five riders to win thePoints classification in all three Grand Tours, three were pure sprinters:Djamolidine Abdoujaparov,Alessandro Petacchi andMark Cavendish. The other two were all-roundersEddy Merckx andLaurent Jalabert.
Peter Sagan won a record sevenPoints classification in the Tour de France. He won three consecutiveWorld Championship, oneEuropean Championship, two Monument racesParis–Roubaix andTour of Flanders.
The only three riders in cycling's history to win stages at all threegrand tours in the same calendar year were all sprinters:Miguel Poblet in 1956,Pierino Baffi in 1958 andAlessandro Petacchi in 2003.
A good sprint can also secure several victories for other specialists, such as Classics riders andGC-contenders.Seán Kelly won 21 stages in the Tour and Vuelta, and the Points Classifications of both races four times each, in addition to his nine majorClassics wins. Likewise, Belgian classics specialistsRik Van Steenbergen,Rik Van Looy andRoger De Vlaeminck were very successful due to a good final sprint, as were ItalianGiro d'Italia-winnersBepe Saronni andFrancesco Moser and their compatriot and two-time World Champion,Paolo Bettini.
Conversely, many sprinters use their abilities to win more than just stages, and were successful in classics such as theTour of Flanders (likeRudi Altig andJan Raas),Paris–Roubaix (Eddy Planckaert) and theGiro di Lombardia (likeAndré Darrigade) or even stage races (in addition to the aforementionedLeducq,Rodríguez,Maertens,Saronni andMoser, they includeRudi Altig,Sean Kelly andLaurent Jalabert who all won the Vuelta, as did1968 Tour de France winner and all-rounderJan Janssen.
The ultimate sprinter classic due to its relatively flat course isMilan–San Remo, won four times by Zabel and three times by three-time World ChampionÓscar Freire. Other "flat" one day races considered important sprinter classics includeGent–Wevelgem,Scheldeprijs,Vattenfall Cyclassics,Paris-Brussels andParis–Tours.
Djamolidine Abdoujaparov
Rudi Altig
Pierino BaffiMarino BassoGuido Bontempi
Tom Boonen
Mark CavendishMario Cipollini
André DarrigadeArnaud DémareRaffaele di Paco
Caleb Ewan
Urs Freuler
Fernando GaviriaAndré GreipelRené Le Grevès
Dylan Groenewegen
Thor HushovdFabio JakobsenGerben Karstens
Sean KellyMarcel KittelAlexander KristoffRik van Linden
Olaf LudwigFreddy MaertensRobbie McEwenTim MerlierCharles PélissierAlessandro PetacchiJasper Philipsen
Miguel PobletGuido Reybrouck
Peter SaganPatrick SercuTom SteelsWout van AertRik van LooyJean-Paul van PoppelRik van SteenbergenElia VivianiErik ZabelDino ZandegùSprinting on a cycle track orvelodrome ranges from the highly specialisedsprint event (where two or more riders slowly circle the track looking to gain a tactical advantage before launching a finishing burst over the final 200 metres, which is timed), to massed-start events decided by the first across the line after a certain number of laps (similar to road racing). The sprint specialist may also ride shorttrack time trials over 1000 metres, theteam sprint andKeirin events.
InMadison racing, a team may comprise a specialist sprinter, for when sudden bursts of speed are required, and another rider able to ride at a more consistent high tempo.
The Complete Cycle Sport Guide, Peter Konopka, 1982, EP Publishing
