How Powerful Are Pro Sprinters? Beginner Vs Amateur Vs Pro

[@gcn]

Could you beat Ollie in a sprint?

[@matt_acton-varian]

Nope, as an out-and-out ameteur climber my sprint peak is a mere 750 watts. The beginner Ollie did have a size advantage over Bridgewood. For additional comparison it would be interesting to see what power output a pro climber can sprint.

[@blackworker89]

Yes :)

[@gwhockett]

1 horsepower = 745.7 watts not 735 watts

[@inz_uzi]

You forgot to specify which Ollie. In my case it doesn't matter because I couldn't beat any of them. 🙂

[@jonnythelegs2597]

7:17 so thats where all ollie's fast twitch muscles are they're in his face 🤣🤣🤣

[@Nicuu98]

For those of you wondering, this are the W/kg values: Beginner (101kg): Peak: 10.07 W/kg - 5s: 9.74 W/kg Amateur (68kg): Peak: 14.46 W/kg - 5s: 13.84 W/kg Pro (81kg): Peak: 27.35 W/kg - 5s: 25.06 W/kg

[@Butchcassidy67987]

Probably the only result of this test that ACTUALLY means anything.

[@omarnaasan3536]

So the pro has more power to weight ratio than both of them combined

[@jonathang3087]

Thanks - that makes me feel better! I've only started have a go at sprinting having just got an indoor set up (so would also be a beginner) and at first glance was feeling very inferior based on the top line number, but actually doing the weight maths would be almost identical to the beginner here.

[@andymitchell2146]

@@Butchcassidy67987 depends on the gradient of the sprint and the cda. on a flat, w/kg affects acceleration but not top speed, though the implicit higher cda of a heavier rider does matter.

[@werdsmyth]

Beginner: Good Amateur: Better Pro: Okaythanksbye

[@remitournier2526]

Would love to see Ollie (the dropped one, not the beginner) follow a sprint training plan! It would be interesting to see how good he could get!

[@jordywilliams]

he already did at cycling weekly. spoiler, he still wasn't good

[@yazzijazzi5152]

Some people are made for sprinting and some for endurance.

[@obidavekenobe]

Add Blake in the mix! How's a mountain biker compare?🙌

[@kamigato]

Blake did a video with Si, I think he was up to 1.5k watts or so, very impressive

[@whatwelearned]

@@kamigato I'd be willing to bet his peak power is a bit higher than that

[@aldude9511]

@@whatwelearned Last I recall them listing it in a GMBN vid it was 1650 W.

[@felixnagl5962]

Blake and Hank on cobbles, Blake said 1852W

[@ubansensei]

Blake's humor wins

[@inz_uzi]

W/kg peak: Ollie beginner 10.1 W/kg Ollie amateur: 14.5 W/kg Heyden pro: 27.3 W/kh W/kg 5s: Ollie beginner 9.7 W/kg - Novice Ollie amateur: 13. 8 W/kg - Cat 5 Heyden pro: 25. 1 W/kg - World class

[@OFFSHOREDOUG]

I was born a sprinter. Found out too late. Quintuple heart bypass and still put out 1600watts at 52. Only took up cycling after my op in 2018.

[@paulbradford6475]

Great job and post op at that! Consider yourself a god of cycling.

[@joecardon7077]

Just race in Masters category That’s impressive power. Don’t let that gift go to waste.

[@WalrusRiderEntertainment]

Same age and did 1700W a few months ago. My best power was 1778W on a Wattbike at the Tour Down Under. Don't ride much at all now. Zero weight training. Agree that sprinters are born. There is a sprint gene and I discovered I have it through DNA sequencing. It has something to do with being able to use ATP in the muscles faster or something. Want to hit over 2000W one day if I train a bit.

[@JudeTheYoutubePoopersubscribe]

You sir are built differently. I can't manage that at 21 years of age but I just got into cycling recently and prefer to stick around the 10-15mph mark anyway. I am too reliant on my ebike to just carry me along at 15mph with no effort needed from myself but trying to ride the regular bike more lol.

[@thebigbristolian]

"I got beaten by a one legged cyclist... true story" We love you Oli!

[@DiscoStu1970]

Ollie is lucky, I once got overtaken in the middle of a race by an overweight guy on a foldie...

[@bobicabayo]

🤣

[@fanboy2984]

WOW! Hayden Norris is amazing! You guys should definitely get him back on in the future

[@iancuk]

Kudos to GCN for dropping two Ollie in a single video.

[@jeskli11]

I'm genetically more a climber/puncheur, but I improved my sprint (both peak and 10s) by about 200 watts in one year just by doing few times a week microsprints out of traffic lights on my 4 km urban commute to and from school. I can't consider myself a sprinter even now, but from hardly 1100W peak and about 790W 10s to 1335W peak and 1026W for 10s I think I did quite great progress.

[@sakotodan]

Wow, so similar to me. How many seconds did you microsprint for and at what power? Might try it myself.

[@jeskli11]

@@sakotodan I do that on a bike without powermeter (it's an old 26" MTB built just for commuting, I don't want to cry if it gets stolen), but it's surely sub-max, so my heart rate doesn't reach the anaerobic threshold, but it has that initial 'kick'. Usually it's about 5s long, just to get me from standing start to let's say 25 kph (could be more where you live, most of the traffic lights on my commute are followed by at least slight incline).

[@toomuch9762]

Would love a video on the training routine of the track cyclists. Showing diet and the bike and weights programs they do.

[@Tidexon]

They have a channel for that called “GCN training” :D

[@toomuch9762]

@@Tidexon there’s literally nothing on that channel in relation to what i said 🤦‍♂️

[@Tidexon]

@@toomuch9762 Search for it :) “GCN training diet” or “GCN training weights”, I found multiple videos. I hope this helps you :D

[@toomuch9762]

@@Tidexon wow you clearly dont know the difference between track cycling and road cycling 🤦‍♂️.

[@dlbutler]

Here are a couple of training videos of German track cyclist Robert Forstemann: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4CsnqmAhMZ6n7s kzbin.info/www/bejne/ooaoYaWnh9aNo68 Also, Chris Hoy in training: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r6iuiKaOa5qBd7s A deeper dive on YT may turn up some diet info...

[@chrisridesbicycles]

Perfect timing! I just stepped of the turbo from a 5x 10s sprint workout. It was enough for Ollie 1191W peak 1081 over 5s. (for the stats: age 43, 98kg) Track sprinters are out of this world. I'd like to have a more detailed look at the files. I guess a key element is the cadence track sprinters can produce and sustain.

[@aldude9511]

In a way, yes. Cadence matters, but that peak power is usually at their default cadence (70-90) when they try to snap the crank arm off.

[@cyclingboss469]

@@aldude9511 Yeah that first snap is absolutely peak power.

[@chriswitek9455]

Power at cadence is the ability to hold a power and have useful power in a race. When I do standing starts its the 3-5 second part where I'm hitting peak power numbers not after 10

[@marianneoelund2940]

@@aldude9511 No, peak power for top sprinters is most definitely not below 100 rpm. When I was a teenager, my peak power was at 180 rpm. Track cyclists include spinning training that exceeds 200 rpm, although I'm not suggesting that's the cadence range where they hit peak power. Doing some timings from from the video for Hayden's first few crank turns when he started sprinting, he was near 130 rpm. That's considerably faster than the other two cyclists. (You have to ignore the cadence displayed on the monitor at that point, because the measurement hadn't caught up with his true cadence.) Sprinters will develop peak *torque* under 100 rpm, but that's not the same as peak *power.*

[@marianneoelund2940]

@@chriswitek9455 You will get better peak power numbers with a rolling start.

[@coreyreeder3549]

“Sprinters are born, not made.” Adding that to my excuse repertoire.

[@stefs]

so my personal, quite unscientific opinion here: if you want to break the world record, you absolutely need the genetics (and the background, the environment, a lot of luck). if you merely want to become excellent, intense training and mental fortitude will be sufficient.

[@coreyreeder3549]

@@stefs so I’ll add “I’m not trying to break any world records here … sheesh”

[@wassermi_7826]

@@stefs not in the case of sprinting. If you don't have enough fast twitch muscle fibers there's not much you can do about it. If you're a bad sprinter, it can still make sense to work on your sprint and become better at it, but you'll never become a strong sprinter.

[@dudeonbike800]

Similarly: "Abs are born, not made." At least that's my take!

[@garybrown5769]

That trainer is insane !!! The extra shorter support arm for the fly wheel is the difference between this and every other turbo out

[@donaldryder5534]

It’s always fun to see pro numbers, mind boggling.

[@elie129]

Hayden Horris produced more power than Si and Hank combined on the tandem! Impressive!

[@marianneoelund2940]

I'm sure Si and Hank could do much better with a little practice - and a rolling start instead of a standing start.

[@sepg5084]

@@marianneoelund2940 yeah, but Hayden still wins on watts/kg

[@Hubertus-ko6yl]

Would be interesting to see 1, 3, 5, 10, 20 minutes of them all !

[@HIcycles]

Ollie, you’re such a good sport.

[@wotexpat9367]

So.... let me get this correct. Ollie was dropped by a beginner - on a stationary bike.... That takes a special kind of talent. Well done!!!

[@PrzemyslawSliwinski]

The beginner in sneakers!

[@wilsonwilliam4510]

He isn't dropped, the beginner weighs a lot more than Ollie, ollie is still a lot stronger than the beginner.

[@RaveniusSFRJ]

Yeah mate, because of watt per kilo, beginner would be way behind him

[@Benno828282]

That's actually pretty good given he weighs 68kg and is mostly a climber

[@Eramsay121]

Ollie: 10.06 w/kg at peak Ollie Bridgewood: 14.45 w/kg at peak Hayden: 27.34 w/kg at peak Our Ollie would smoke the beginner in a track sprint

[@ShakeNBakeUK]

Hayden = absolute fookin UNIT, very impressive none of this mincing around in middle of rear cog, slam it straight into hardest gear and go HAM!!1! #fasttwitch

[@NanoDex]

For the beginner, I wonder if he had sprinted from the drops and used more of his body what he could get. He is a big and tall guy surely he has more than 1000w. Comparing Ollie and the pro ollie seemed to have less core strength to keep his upper part firm to push off of and was generally more wild with the release of energy. That's really some of the watts, getting that solid base like if you were sitting down in a leg press machine, you can press way more than you can squat cause of this and other reasons. Firming up your core is like a step towards full body effort and away from just leg producing the watts. There is a TON of power in the technique.

[@paulinfrancis]

@Vegan's R Silly having a strong core sure does help put the power down when you’re out of the saddle!

[@martinh2783]

Really? Do I have to calculate W/kg myself?

[@newttella1043]

The answer is amateur Ollie has a better watts per kilo than beginner Ollie. Hayden is off the charts.

[@martinh2783]

@@newttella1043 Yea, but since presenter/PhD Ollie didn't included it and talked about about I will call him amateur presenter Ollie until he better himself. I expect more from a scientist. PS. Ollie is still my favorite presenter. For now. DS.

[@apa1]

Ollie is brilliant and really quite funny. Make sure to give him a payrise.

[@pascualchaim1620]

A fan here from the Philippines. I'm a beginner. Very nice equipment! Nice video

[@owenrosser624]

I've not been cycling long, so it's nice to have some context for my 1220W peak power. Although being 15kg heavier than Ollie I think he'd still blast me up hill!

[@djrlloyd]

If sprinters are born then I recon beginner Ollie is a born sprinter. Ive been cycling for years and never got anywhere near 1000 watts. Well done that man.

[@syctris8742]

make sure to factor in weight, If I hit 1000 watts, then I would be close to 18w/kg which is pretty nutty.

[@coreyreeder3549]

It really was an effort

[@djrlloyd]

@@syctris8742 good point. He was 30kg heavier than me.

[@patrickeigenmann138]

@@djrlloyd I am a beginner cyclist myself. Started this year. My 1s peak is 1100W at 95kg. So i assume, it's nothing that special to hit

[@oldtwinsna8347]

untrained cyclists/runners usually have a lot more fast twitch muscles and a ton less slow twitch so not surprising to see the result. the idea here is that the just-starting ollie would never see the end of the finish line where it matters.

[@eastlamb9949]

"So you do you think I can get to 2000 watts" "I dont know about that" The look 🤣

[@KazeyoYT]

Freddie can't be considered a beginner anymore. He got so strong now. So inspiring

[@nerigarcia7116]

Beginner Ollie wasn't even breathing hard, I think he had more in him. Amateur Ollie still got dropped on a trainer. Hayden was incredible.

[@marklyons4366]

Not really sure why they didn’t raise W/kg. Presenter Ollie would definitely have been faster in real world weighing over 30% less than beginner Ollie.

[@newttella1043]

Beginner Ollie's legs might've run out of steam before his lungs. This happens all the time with beginner athletes. If he improves his cardio, he'll definitely unlock more power. This is what I teach kids I coach in sports that seemingly don't require cardio like baseball and football (American).

[@rafsxful]

The amateur Ollie being dropped was the best part.

[@YonandYon_613]

saw your ad in the times, well done lads

[@erygoodguy]

I always feel amazed by video of comparing the beginner and the pro for doing some stuff. its show me how tough these pro because of their training programs and maybe their genetic advantage

[@angeluzvan]

where do you get your begginers from??? based on those standars im not even one

[@syctris8742]

got to factor in weight, the beginner was under

[@gohumberto]

Interesting. Pure sprinting is very much like Power-Lifting but Cavendish proved that frontal area, and therefore drag, are hugely important at 80km/hr. Cav was way down on peak power (compared to the "Hulks" like Marcel Kittel) but he was ultra compact. The effect of aerodynamic drag is affected by the square of speed, so the faster you go, the more you more that drag ramps up. Ollie (amateur) is very skinny, with decent power. I would expect him to come an easy 2nd place in a meaningful sprint (say 400 metres). I'd also expect his base fitness would let him hang on to decent power longer than newbie Ollie. People tend to forget that the Tour de France Sprinters cycle 200km over mountains, to get to that final 500 meter insane sprint.

[@grahamhayden8969]

Loved the Mo Farah vs Usain Bolt running analogy.

[@graemehill]

To be fair Mo Farah has an absolutely lethal kick so it's a pretty generous comparison 😅

[@jeffr119]

@OllieBridgewood - Can you give your thoughts on that Oreka trainer, specifically the side to side/rocking motion it can provide. Looking at that trainer it looks like what I have been wanting in a trainer - the trainer moves without needing a rocker plate.

[@paulinfrancis]

The highest I’ve ever hit is 1607, but this summer I did 1215 for 30s and 889 for 1 minute, both of which I was much more pleased with than the 1s max. It tapers off pretty fast from there though 😆

[@cyclingboss469]

The 1215 for 30s is insane

[@karlwalters3763]

That's serious power! You can hold more power than André Greipel for 30 secs while he was at his peak! ......... lol

[@HN-jn3np]

If that’s true you’d be one of the best lengthy sprinters in the world, think kilo and team sprint P3… hmmm

[@cornishalps9870]

@@HN-jn3np dudes probably 100kg+ and hasn't got the time/money/dedication for it. Power in cycling isn't the main factor in being good at racing.

[@HN-jn3np]

@@cornishalps9870 on track power is definitely the main factor. And plenty of the world class sprinters are well over 100kg

[@k4sc696]

watching from Philippines

[@furqanahmadjarullah5770]

Love these types of vids

[@_PATRlCK]

Awesome topic

[@ime06]

Would have been interesting to see how beginner Ollie would so with clipless pedals!

[@BennoSattler]

Since he was most likely pedaling squares and use much of his weight out of the saddle, I am not sure we would see much of a difference.

[@kennethward9530]

So what we’ve learned is add more weight lifting and beer to one’s training to maximize sprint ability-I’ll start with more beer, see how that goes…

[@dudeonbike800]

Wise decision based on sound reasoning. Cheers!

[@jameswright9372]

That was awesome! I'm happy with the 1200 or so peak I can hit if I'm in shape, but I'm bigger than most road cyclists. I'd love to get close to 14 one day.

[@kelvinhocm]

Will be very interested on a review on the Oreka trainer. That suspension system to somewhat accommodate the lateral movement of the bike seem to might or might not help with putting less stress into the frame. If some information could be provided on this would be great!

[@dudeonbike800]

It definitely helps reduce unintended lateral stresses on the frame! The frame isn't designed to withstand pedaling loads being restricted by the rear triangle through the axle. But still doesn't cancel them out. The difference between that and a free bicycle swinging during a sprint must be considerable.

[@kelvinhocm]

@@dudeonbike800 thanks for the insight!

[@framedman]

I'm the same height and weight as the sprinter and my max is just shy of 1450. Those fast twitch muscle fibres working to the max. Outrageous.

[@DonutEndurance]

"Here's are new 'beginner' cyclist because our old 'beginner' cyclist isn't really a beginner anymore." *Beginner cyclist proceeds to put more power out than Ollie and Si.* Where does GCN find these beginner cyclist?!

[@Tazangamoz]

This was pretty cool. 💯

[@jonfarmer7914]

The Oreka trainer is good for a max of 2500W which was stated to be more than 'most top cyclists on the Tour de France can produce'. Are there known cases of this being exceeded and what is the World Record/Highest Known? I did an internet search found a statement that Sir Chris Hoy was good for 2500W in the article 'Track Sprinting, A Question of Watts' on the UCI Website, but no actual data. This article also stated that 'the UCI WCC coaches expect elite male sprinters to be able to produce 25 watts per kg' (Hoy was therefore producing 27W). *And' that is whilst complying with UCI sock rules, of course.

[@chriswitek9455]

My buddy Matt pushes 2300+ as a cat 3 on the track. So its more then that I'm sure

[@WalrusRiderEntertainment]

This Olympic BMX racer peaked at 2657W.. Shows the watt bike screen int his short video. That is the highest wattage I have ever seen and he doesn't even look very muscular. Crazy talent.. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jIbNpZSCYtmZg8U

[@Bukoe]

8 years ago I jumped from 15 years of volleyball food and squads 90kg my first spinn class I maxed out at 1600 watts .. Now after 8 years of just biking I am down to 1250 watts max as a long distance hobby fun riding guy.. But what I have lost in Max power I have gained in distance and FPT .. And then 8 years older but who care for age =)

[@benisaredneck]

A thing I noticed. GCN Olli had a rather slow cadence for a sprint. Power = force x cadence. If you notice the sprinter had a much much higher cadence. Sprinters tend to get comfortable with really high cadences.

[@ogee69]

Soo what about w/kg?

[@Southerncyclist]

At 97kilos or 217lbs and 6'3 my best was Peak 1465 watts, 5 seconds 1392. That was working on getting my sprint up. Normal is about 1200 watts.

[@chess.profit]

More Ollie pleaseeee

[@unknownguyguy9996]

GCN trying everything to ensure that at least one Ollie per video gets dropped. Well done, mates!

[@TheKillerman3333]

this got my heart beating

[@Poisonous_Odd_or_Sheep]

What about Oli does 4 weeks of sprint training and see what he can get to. Interesting experiment for those more endurance based athletes such as myself to see:)

[@silviugheorghe7118]

Wooooow! Realy impressive

[@argeelearner3978]

love these vids

[@WalrusRiderEntertainment]

1hp = 745.7W not 735W

[@kstethespokes1051]

Thigh circumference directly proportional to power output? Time to hit the gym Bridgewood!

[@scottsutoob]

“Sprinters are born, not made.” Maybe Amateur Ollie should challenge Hayden to a long hillclimb so sooth his ego.

[@Crafftyyy]

Im 6months into riding at age 30; my friends leave me on distance rides like i was never there; we did a short course with a sprint finish about a week ago and I left them standing still; peaked at 1685w, First time really ever sprinting on the road other than the zwift trainer.

[@captainswift8465]

I'm 15 and a fairly natural sprinter and I managed to get a peak power of 1,543W on one of the exercise bikes at my school during one of my PE lessons

[@alexk2127]

Got to love humble sprinters who quote Lemond

[@johnpaulstez]

Yup, I remember him muttering that one a million years ago. Still about the best explanation of racing/training.

[@1987mariohl]

I was feeling fast on my 100 watts!! 😂 I need to train more😊

[@PatrickvonMassow]

How about a TT with: Beginner on high end aero bike, amateur on cheap road bike, pro on trekking bike?

[@robertogaspar2831]

The Ollie's have a combined peak of 2000W, That's "ollie" precise!

[@jonathanzappala]

That trainer is sick, not that I’d make full use of it sprinting haha.

[@f.a.0000]

would love to see Nayden Horris climbing the hill Si and hank just did recently.

[@chriswitek9455]

Yeah but why

[@teddyrasputin3850]

So what you're saying is my Saris H3 won't quite cut it for my winter training?😏

[@CyclewithSerafina]

I raced a gravity racer the other day, uphill sprint, 23% avg grade, him on MTB me on my roadie, loser has to have an ice bath! 🥶 I'm just editing the video now 😁🚴‍♀️🚵‍♂️

[@mattnugy]

"A sprinter is born, not made" - seems that rings true

[@rebelape4257]

this channel has mad camp councilor energy

[@chanito_nyc]

Peak meta, Ollie dropping Ollie!

[@ozzyrkaya3713]

Beaten by a sprinter with one leg 😂😂😂

[@princeg973]

Why does no one talk about how the beginner was on Flat Pedals instead of clipless ones. I think this can make a HUGE diffrence, especially in peak power!!

[@HobbyHoarder]

GCN actually did a test of this and found that clipless are better for sprinting.

[@syctris8742]

Yeah need to show it in w/kg instead of just watts. Just watts are borderline useless without the weight factored in behind it. Beginner pushed a tad more watts, but he has 30kg on amateur's Ollie.

[@chriswitek9455]

W/kg not very important when already screaming around at 65+kph.

[@WalrusRiderEntertainment]

W/kg are only useful for climbing. On a track pure power is more important. The W/Kg would only affect the acceleration not top speed if frontal area is the same and increase in tire friction is minimal.

[@LegSpinna]

Next week can we see finance Ollie explaining good ruck and maul technique with presenter Ollie please?

[@Lillee1969]

Very good both Ollys, Bridgewood actually is pretty good for his weight so don’t give him too hard of a time!

[@everactivedad]

That was impressive

[@mateagoston8145]

Hey, shouldn't you have worked with Watts per Kg instead os just Watts?

[@kylehagertybanana]

Olli you could totally make it to 1000

[@FiftyQuest15]

Sprinting is the only aspect of cycling I don't completely suck at. Now do I focus on getting better there or trying to round out everything else haha

[@s0nofp2l]

Needed a heavier sprinter, GCN Ollie's power to weight would give a much more expected result

[@bharathsreejith7367]

I can't stand Ollie being the Guinea pig 😂 Again!

[@andymitchell2146]

"as a running analogy"... Ollie ollie ollie, you shouldn't remind us that running exists. It'll just end with THAT clip from the reel of shame being shown on the GCN show. You know the one.

[@cbdcaffie]

That made me laugh out loud! Sorry Ollie

[@samuelfawdry6411]

Could have put in a road sprinter vs track sprinter to see the comparison

[@edlazda3245]

Love the comment about being beaten by a man with one leg. I was once beaten at squash by a man with one leg, who hopped around the court.

[@florianschafer295]

Ollie giving running analogies *insert senator palpatine ironic meme here

[@sabaffira]

1500w for me. Telling my mates I’m a sprinter when dropped on the next hill route.

[@yazzijazzi5152]

What mode was zwift on for this?

[@dannyzuehlsdorf3697]

Check the calibration on the trainer

[@obidavekenobe]

🍞How long can you power a toaster? .... Or 1500W microwave oven?

[@perakojot6524]

I am pretty sure this result is highly correlated with how much each one of them can lift in squat. If beginner improved a bit more his peddling technique (just using clipless pedals would bring him at least 10%) he could reach 1200-1300W. If you took a pro weight lifter and taught him how to properly pedal he could easily produce over 3000W.

[@hill160881]

On a Walmart bike on a 3 year old trainer I hit 1800w. I don’t cycle 😂 I am 41 and wish cycling was a thing where I grew up. How do I have this power? I lift!

[@bimblingalong]

so... what would happen if we put Hayden and Ollie (beginner) on the Tandem...?? #JustAsking

[@jonpoon3896]

How about trying a pro athlete from a different sport? Like a runner, footballer, or rugby player

[@DavidMackenzie]

Kind of Ollie to do the measurements in watts rather than watts/kg. You’re a good sport Ollie!

[@bazzahead7282]

Not sure about that inbuilt powermeter

[@wiadroman8541]

"It never gets any easier, you just get faster"

[@stephaniemckenzie3946]

1st Ollie used the power in his legs, 2nd Ollie used his entire body 😂

[@chriswitek9455]

2nd ollie didn't really use his body he just flailed around