Video: How to perfect a sprint lead-out
Video: How to perfect a sprint lead-out
It’s fair to say that Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl has a bit going for it as a team. Quite apart from being the poster boys of laminate flooring, alcohol-free beer and sensible shoes, Quick-Step win a lot of bike races. They’ve got Julian Alaphilippe. They’ve got the crumbs from Remco’s pizza endorsement. They’re a force to be reckoned with in the cobbled classics. They’ve also got one of the best sprint lead-out trains in the sport.
A lot of sprinting comes down to daring – who’ll find the right gap at blistering pace. But as Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl shows in this illuminating video filmed at a training camp in Algarve, a lot of it also comes down to practice, perseverance, and teamwork.
The team’s sports director Tom Steels – himself a handy sprinter of the past, and a nine-time Tour de France stage winner – oversees proceedings, coaching his charges on how to execute the perfect lead-out in a variety of race scenarios. It’s a fascinating mix of theory and torque, with a sprinkling of awe when Michael Mørkøv swings off the front and Fabio Jakobsen takes flight.
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