Originally Posted by queerpunk

for the 500m and the kilo, there's less specific technique than the 250. with events like the kilo (and the pursuit, too) a lot of people rarely if ever actually do the correct distance in training. instead they focus on the fundamentals of track training - undergeared efforts (legspeed), overgeared efforts (strength), underdistance efforts (speed), overdistance efforts (fatigue resistance).

to train, break each event down into components: the start, the top speed, and the endurance (holding that speed).

this video is about as good a primer on a standing start as you can get - straight arms, drive the hips forward, use the arms to help drive the legs down into the pedal stroke:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1AfJSrh1ME