REF-840 · Abbiss et al., 2013 · International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, Vol. · Paper · PubMed
Distribution of Power Output When Establishing a Breakaway in Cycling
Power data from professional road-cycling events show that, in the 5-10 min before a rider establishes a breakaway (rides away from a group), there are typically numerous short (5-15 s), very high-intensity surges of about 9.5-14 W/kg.
After this initial effort, power declined but stayed high, at about 450-500 W, for a further 30 s to 5 min depending on how the chase group responded. The authors note that because competitors shape pacing so strongly, laboratory tests struggle to replicate this part of mass-start racing.
Participants
Professional road cyclists; the number of riders, races and breakaways is not given in the abstract.
Protocol
Review of power-output data recorded in professional road-cycling events around the moment a breakaway was established.
Description of the power distribution before and after the break.
Key Results
| Phase | Duration | Power |
|---|---|---|
| Build-up before the break | the 5-10 min before | numerous short surges of 5-15 s at ~9.5-14 W/kg |
| After the initial effort | a further 30 s to 5 min, depending on the chase group | declined but stayed high, ~450-500 W |
The response of the chase group determined how long the high power had to be held.
Authors' conclusion: laboratory tests find it difficult to replicate this competitor-driven pacing; more race power data are needed to refine simulated stochastic trials and understand what makes a breakaway succeed.
Practical Application
What does it take to get into a breakaway? In professional race data, a successful break was typically preceded by 5-10 min of repeated 5-15 s surges at about 9.5-14 W/kg, then held at about 450-500 W for another 30 s to 5 min depending on how the chase group responded. Train the attack as a sequence: several very short, very hard efforts, then a sustained high effort straight after, rather than as one isolated sprint or one steady interval.
How long the post-attack effort lasts is decided by the chasers, not the attacker, so the sustained part needs a range (30 s to 5 min), not a single target duration.
Inference, not tested here: a session built from this shape — a few 5-15 s surges followed without recovery by a hard effort of 30 s to 5 min — is a reasonable "attack rehearsal", but no training study of it is in this paper.
Inference, not tested here: the watts and W/kg are professional values; an amateur's attack will have the same shape at lower numbers, scaled to their own sprint and short sustained power.
Limitations
Brief report; number of riders, races and breakaways not given in the abstract.
Values are approximate ranges ("~"), and only successful breakaways appear to be described; failed attacks are not.
Professional racing (the riders' sex is not stated in the abstract); transfer to amateurs, women and criteriums is inference.
Written from the abstract and record metadata only (full text not read).
How this entry was checked and changed
Why this level
descriptive report, sample not stated, approximate values only
Content correction 2026-09-27
2026-10-01: independent check against the abstract — wording brought back to what the abstract states.