Editing Sprinter (cycling) (section)

==The road sprinter==
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,<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Menaspà |first1=P. |last2=Rampinini |first2=E. |last3=Bosio |first3=A. |last4=Carlomagno |first4=D. |last5=Riggio |first5=M. |last6=Sassi |first6=A. |date=June 2012 |title=Physiological and anthropometric characteristics of junior cyclists of different specialties and performance levels: Cycling speciality and ranking in juniors |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1600-0838.2010.01168.x |journal=Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports |language=en |volume=22 |issue=3 |pages=392–398 |doi=10.1111/j.1600-0838.2010.01168.x|pmid=20807389 |s2cid=24746377 |doi-access=free }}</ref> combining the strength of their legs with their upper body to produce a short burst of speed necessary in a closely contested finish.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2014-07-18 |title=Why sprinters are muscly and climbers are wiry |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-28363129 |access-date=2023-03-03}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Crouch |first1=Timothy |last2=Menaspà |first2=Paolo |last3=Barry |first3=Nathan |last4=Brown |first4=Nicholas |last5=Thompson |first5=Mark C |last6=Burton |first6=David |date=December 2021 |title=A wind-tunnel case study: Increasing road cycling velocity by adopting an aerodynamically improved sprint position |journal=Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part P: Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology |language=en |volume=235 |issue=4 |pages=301–309 |doi=10.1177/1754337119866962 |issn=1754-3371|doi-access=free }}</ref>

A sprinter is usually heavier, limiting their speed advantage to relatively flat sections.<ref name=":1" /> It is therefore not uncommon for sprinters to be dropped by the [[peloton]] (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 '[[drafting (racing)|draft]]' or [[slipstream]] behind their teammates or opponents before accelerating in the final meters. Some prefer slight uphill finishes, while others prefer downhill finishes.