Physiological and Performance Characteristics of Male Professional Road Cyclists

摘要: Male professional road cycling competitions last between 1 hour (e.g. the time trial in World Championships) and 100 hours Tour de France). Although final overall standings of a race are individual, it is undoubtedly team sport. Professional cyclists present with variable anthropometric values, but display impressive aerobic capacities [maximal power output 370 to 570W, maximal oxygen uptake 4.4 6.4 L/min at onset blood lactate accumulation (OBLA) 300 500W]. Because characteristics, ‘especialists’ have evolved within teams whose job perform different terrain racing conditions. In this respect, outputs relative mass exponents 0.32 seem be best predictors level ground uphill ability, respectively. However, specialists been shown meet requirements top competitors all (level uphill) conditions (individually group). Based on competition heart rate measurements, trials raced under steady-state conditions, shorter being average intensities close OBLA (≈400 420W), longer ones individual threshold (LT, ≈370 390W). Mass-start stages, other hand, low mean (≈210W for flat ≈270W high mountain stages), characterised by their intermittent nature, spending 30 minutes at, above LT, 5 20 OBLA.