I tie a piano wire around my neck for the first minute, then release it. Just make sure the wire stays clear of your wheels. Drives your heart rate up PDQ. Some say doing this is taking unecessary risk, but the wire has never slipped into my spokes.
Another awesome training method builds power quickly. I generally look for something high, like a roof peak and jump off repeatedly. Remember to run back upstairs as quickly as possible to keep your HR up for a double effect workout. My thighs have become nicely sculpted. One time my Mom died from a heart attack while I was doing them. I have to push down that bad feeling once in while when I am doing a set. This is done without a bike, becasue doing it on a bike would be foolish, cuz you''d get hurt, eventually.
For peak efforts just before race season, I recommend riding a bike into a McDonald's drive through, ordering "two big macs with all the money in your cash drawer" while pointing a tire pump through your jersey at the server. You'd be surprised how fast you can go with a pararde of cruisers behind you. Still, bikes have always proved to be more manueverable. Therefore, this is best done on a Miracle Mile in your town, where, McD's, Burger King, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts and local banks line the road for multiple repeats. You should rehearse your script so that you don't order, say, a double latte hold the foam from DD cuz the guy in the 4X behind you would punch you out.
Thought I'd share some wisdom and simultaneously piss off the pros who keep these little training secrets to themselves, the dweebs.
