Sprinting for the Win: Distribution of Power Output in Women’s Professional Cycling

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1237-1242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremiah J. Peiffer ◽  
Chris R. Abbiss ◽  
Eric C. Haakonssen ◽  
Paolo Menaspà

Purpose:To examine the power-output distribution and sprint characteristics of professional female road cyclists.Methods:A total of 31 race files, representing top 5 finishes, were collected from 7 professional female cyclists. Files were analyzed for sprint characteristics, including mean and peak power output, velocity, and duration. The final 20 min before the sprint was analyzed to determine the mean maximal power output (MMP) consistent with durations of 5, 15, 30, 60, 240, and 600 s. Throughout the race, the number of efforts for each duration exceeding 80% of its corresponding final 20-min MMP (MMP80) was determined. The number of 15-s efforts exceeding 80% of the mean final sprint power output (MSP80) was determined.Results:Sprint finishes lasted 21.8 (6.7) s with mean and peak power outputs of 679 (101) and 886 (91) W, respectively. Throughout the race, additional 5-, 15-, and 30-s efforts above MMP80were completed in the 5th compared with the 1st–4th quintiles of the race. The 60-s efforts were greater during the 5th quintile compared with the 1st, 2nd, and 4th quintiles, and during the 3rd compared with the 4th quintile. More 240-s efforts were recorded during the 5th compared with the 1st and 4th quintiles. About 82% of the 15-s efforts above MSP80were completed in the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th quintiles of the race.Conclusions:These data demonstrate the variable nature of women’s professional cycling and the physical demands necessary for success, thus providing information that could enhance in-race decision making and the development of race-specific training programs.

1988 ◽  
Vol 65 (5) ◽  
pp. 2343-2348 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. H. Williams ◽  
W. S. Barnes ◽  
J. F. Signorile

A constant-load cycle ergometer was constructed that allows maximal power output to be measured for each one-half pedal revolution during brief, high-intensity exercise. To determine frictional force, an electronic load cell was attached to the resistance strap and the ergometer frame. Dead weights were attached to the strap's free end. Flywheel velocity was recorded by means of a magnetic switch and two magnets placed on the pedal sprocket. Pedaling resulted in magnetically activated switch closures, which produced two electronic pulses per pedal revolution. Pulses and load cell output were recorded (512 Hz), digitized, and stored on disk via microcomputer. Power output was later computed for each pair of adjacent pulses, representing average power per one-half pedal revolution. Power curves generated for each subject were analyzed for peak power output (the highest one-half pedal revolution average), time to peak power, power fatigue rate and index, average power, and total work. Thirty-eight males performed two 15-s tests separated by 15 min (n = 16) or 48 h (n = 22). Peak power output ranged from 846.0 to 1,289.1 W. Intraclass correlation analysis revealed high test-retest reliability for all parameters recorded on the same or different days (R = 0.91-0.97). No significant differences (P greater than 0.05) were noted between parameter means of the first and second tests. These results indicate that the ergometer described provides a means for conveniently and reliably assessing short-term power output and fatigue.


2016 ◽  
Vol 138 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
SenthilKumar Masimalai ◽  
Sasikumar Nandagopal

This paper aims at studying the combined effect of oxygen enrichment and dual fueling on performance, emission, and combustion characteristics of a mono cylinder diesel engine using a blend of cashew nut shell pyro oil (CSO) and conventional diesel oil (called BD—base diesel) as fuel. Experiments were initially conducted using 100% BD as fuel at variable power output conditions. Subsequently, experiments were repeated with CSO40D60 (blend of 40% of CSO and 60% of BD by volume) at different power outputs. In the third phase, the engine was run with oxygen enrichment of 24% by volume in the intake air using CSO40D60 as fuel. Finally, the engine was operated in dual fuel mode of operation with the oxygen concentrations of 24% using CSO40D60 as pilot fuel and ethanol as the primary inducted fuel. Ethanol induction was made up to the maximum possible limit until misfire or knock. The brake thermal efficiency (BTE) was found as 25% with CSO40D60 29.5% and 30.5% with BD at the rated power output of 3.7 kW. The smoke number was noted as 55 filter smoke number (FSN) and 40 FSN, respectively, with CSO40D60 and BD. Hydrocarbon (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions were found to be higher with CSO40D60 as compared to BD. Ignition delay (ID) and combustion duration (CD) were also noted to be higher with CSO40D60 at all power outputs. Combined oxygen enrichment and ethanol induction sufficiently increased the BTE using CSO40D60 as fuel at all power outputs. At peak power output, the BTE was noted as 34.5%. The lowest smoke number of 36 FSN was found for 24% of oxygen with 34.3% of ethanol energy share at peak power output with CSO40D60 as fuel, whereas it was 40 FSN with BD and 55 FSN with CSO40D60 for 21% of oxygen. Significant improvement in heat release rates was observed by combining ethanol induction and oxygen enrichment techniques using CSO40D60 as fuel. Overall, it is concluded that by combining oxygen enrichment and ethanol induction superior performance and reduced emissions can be achieved at all power outputs using CSO40D60 as fuel.


Author(s):  
Manuel V Garnacho-Castaño ◽  
Arturo Muñoz-González ◽  
María A Garnacho-Castaño ◽  
José L Maté-Muñoz

Knowledge of the power– and velocity–load relationships is a key factor to guide loads during resistance training and optimize sports performance. This study compares mean velocity–, peak velocity– and power–load relationships, and determines the load which elicits maximal power output in the military press and bench press. Fifty-seven healthy, active men were randomly assigned to a bench press (n = 28) or military press (n = 29) group. In separate test sessions, concentric-only or eccentric-concentric sequences of each exercise were performed in random order as incremental isoinertial load tests. Both mean velocity and peak velocity were highly related with the load lifted (% 1RM) in both bench press and military press (mean velocity: R2 = 0.94 and 0.95; peak velocity: R2 = 0.93 and 0.93, respectively). The loads maximizing mean power and peak power output were similar for the eccentric-concentric versus concentric sequences in bench press and military press. The loads maximizing mean power and peak power were between 54% and 57.5% 1RM for the bench press and 59.8%–63.1% 1RM for the military press. For the bench press, no significant differences were observed in mean power from 30% to 80% 1RM and peak power from 30% to 95% 1RM. For the military press, no significant differences were observed in mean power from 40% to 80% 1RM and peak power from 30% to 90%/95% 1RM. The close relationship detected between mean velocity or peak velocity and load means that the % 1RM can be estimated according to mean velocity and peak velocity. In both exercises, a broad range of relative intensities could be used at which power output is not significantly different than that at maximized power output (mean = 30%/40%–80% 1RM; peak = 30%–90%/95%). Mean velocity lower than approximately 0.33 m s−1 for bench press and 0.4 m s−1 for military press, as well as peak velocity lower than approximately 0.4 m s−1 for bench press and 0.5 m s−1 for military press do not optimize power output responses. The eccentric action was a determining factor for increasing power output only in bench press.


2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 966-972
Author(s):  
Russell I. Jolley ◽  
Jon E. Goodwin ◽  
Daniel J. Cleather

1983 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 218-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. McCartney ◽  
G. J. Heigenhauser ◽  
N. L. Jones

We studied maximal torque-velocity relationships and fatigue during short-term maximal exercise on a constant velocity cycle ergometer in 13 healthy male subjects. Maximum torque showed an inverse linear relationship to crank velocity between 60 and 160 rpm, and a direct relationship to thigh muscle volume measured by computerized tomography. Peak torque per liter thigh muscle volume (PT, N X ml-1) was related to crank velocity (CV, rpm) in the following equation: PT = 61.7 - 0.234 CV (r = 0.99). Peak power output was a parabolic function of crank velocity in individual subjects, but maximal power output was achieved at varying crank velocities in different subjects. Fiber type distribution was measured in the two subjects showing the greatest differences and demonstrated that a high proportion of type II fibers may be one factor associated with a high crank velocity for maximal power output. The decline in average power during 30 s of maximal effort was least at 60 rpm (23.7 +/- 4.6% of initial maximal power) and greatest at 140 rpm (58.7 +/- 6.5%). At 60 rpm the decline in power over 30 s was inversely related to maximal oxygen uptake (ml X min-1 X kg-1) (r = 0.69). Total work performed and plasma lactate concentration 3 min after completion of 30-s maximum effort were similar for each crank velocity.


Circulation ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 143 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin Carriker ◽  
Phillip Armentrout ◽  
Sarah Levine ◽  
James Smoliga

Introduction: Previous studies have examined dietary nitrate supplementation and its effects on dry static apnea, and peak power. Dietary nitrate supplementation has been found to increase maximal apnea and peak power output. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of beetroot juice on dry static apnea and Wingate performance. Hypothesis: Dietary nitrate will improve maximal breath hold time and peak power output. Dietary nitrate will improve tolerance to CO2, thereby improving maximal breath hold time and anaerobic capacity. Methods: In a randomized, double-blind, counterbalanced study, five healthy males (20.4±0.89 years) visited the lab on 3 separate occasions each separated by one week. Visit 1 served as a Wingate and breath hold familiarization visit. Prior to visits 2 and 3 participants were instructed to drink a beverage either a placebo (negligible nitrate content, PL) or dietary nitrate rich beverage (12.4 mmol nitrate, NIT) during the 4 days leading up to their next visit. Visits 2 and 3 consisted of two submaximal breath holds (80% of maximal determined during visit 1), with 2 minutes of rest between and three minutes of rest preceding the final breath hold for maximal duration. Finally, participants completed a standardized 10-minute warmup on the cycle ergometer before completing a 30-second maximal effort Wingate test. Results: A linear mixed effects model was used to determine whether treatment (NIT vs. PL) was associated with differences in VCO2 or PetCO2. Time (0, 10, 20, 30 min post-breath hold) and Treatment both served as repeated measures. Models were developed using multiple repeated measures covariance matrix structures, and the model with the lowest AIC was chosen as the final model. The interaction between time and treatment was included in the original models, and was removed if it was not statistically significant. Time was a statistically significant factor for VCO2 and PetCO2 (p < 0.001). Treatment, and the Time x Treatment interaction was not significant for either variable. No differences between NIT and PL were observed during the Wingate test for either time to peak power (5.02±2.45 and 6.2±2.43 sec, respectively) or maximal power (9.73±1.01 and 9.72±1.03 watts/kg, respectively) and fatigue index (49.42±14.98 and 47.30±6.99 watts/sec, respectively). Conclusion: Preliminary data indicates that in a general population four days of dietary nitrate supplementation may not improve breath hold time, tolerance to carbon dioxide in the lungs, or Wingate performance.


1996 ◽  
Vol 271 (2) ◽  
pp. C676-C683 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Widrick ◽  
S. W. Trappe ◽  
D. L. Costill ◽  
R. H. Fitts

Gastrocnemius muscle fiber bundles were obtained by needle biopsy from five middle-aged sedentary men (SED group) and six age-matched endurance-trained master runners (RUN group). A single chemically permeabilized fiber segment was mounted between a force transducer and a position motor, subjected to a series of isotonic contractions at maximal Ca2+ activation (15 degrees C), and subsequently run on a 5% polyacrylamide gel to determine myosin heavy chain composition. The Hill equation was fit to the data obtained for each individual fiber (r2 > or = 0.98). For the SED group, fiber force-velocity parameters varied (P < 0.05) with fiber myosin heavy chain expression as follows: peak force, no differences: peak tension (force/fiber cross-sectional area), type IIx > type IIa > type I; maximal shortening velocity (Vmax, defined as y-intercept of force-velocity relationship), type IIx = type IIa > type I; a/Pzero (where a is a constant with dimensions of force and Pzero is peak isometric force), type IIx > type IIa > type I. Consequently, type IIx fibers produced twice as much peak power as type IIa fibers, whereas type IIa fibers produced about five times more peak power than type I fibers. RUN type I and IIa fibers were smaller in diameter and produced less peak force than SED type I and IIa fibers. The absolute peak power output of RUN type I and IIa fibers was 13 and 27% less, respectively, than peak power of similarly typed SED fibers. However, type I and IIa Vmax and a/Pzero were not different between the SED and RUN groups, and RUN type I and IIa power deficits disappeared after power was normalized for differences in fiber diameter. Thus the reduced absolute peak power output of the type I and IIa fibers from the master runners was a result of the smaller diameter of these fibers and a corresponding reduction in their peak isometric force production. This impairment in absolute peak power production at the single fiber level may be in part responsible for the reduced in vivo power output previously observed for endurance-trained athletes.


1994 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 1403-1410 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Callister ◽  
A. V. Ng ◽  
D. R. Seals

We tested the hypothesis that sympathetic vasoconstrictor nerve activity to nonactive skeletal muscle (MSNA) decreases immediately before and remains suppressed during initiation of conventional large muscle upright dynamic exercise in humans. In 11 healthy young subjects, adequate recordings of MSNA from the radial nerve in the arm were obtained during upright seated rest (control) and throughout 1 min of leg-cycling exercise at one or more submaximal workloads (range 33–266 W; approximately 10–80% of peak power output). MSNA was analyzed during four consecutive time intervals; control, preparation for cycling (end of control to onset of pedal movement), initiation of cycling (onset of pedal movement to attainment of target power output), and the initial 60 s of cycling at target power output. MSNA decreased (P < 0.05) abruptly and markedly in all subjects [to 19 +/- 4% (SE) of control levels] during the preparation period before the 33-W load and remained suppressed throughout the period of initiation of cycling in 8 of 11 subjects; MSNA increased during the initiation period in three subjects in whom diastolic arterial pressure fell below control levels. This general pattern was observed at all loads. MSNA remained at or below control levels throughout the 1 min of cycling exercise at 33–166 W. MSNA increased above control levels during the latter portion of the 1 min of cycling only at loads > or = 60% of peak power output.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Peter Leo ◽  
Iñigo Mujika ◽  
Justin Lawley

PURPOSE: The COVID-19 pandemic and its associated mobility restrictions caused many athletes to adjust or reduce their usual training load. The aim of this study was to investigate how the COVID-19 restrictions affected training and performance physiology measures in U23 elite cyclists. METHODS: Twelve U23 elite cyclists (n = 12) participated in this study (mean ± SD: Age 21.2 ± 1.2 years; height 182.9 ± 4.7 cm; body mass 71.4 ± 6.5 kg). Training characteristics were assessed between 30 days pre, during, and post COVID-19 restrictions, respectively. The physiological assessment in the laboratory was 30 days pre and post COVID-19 restrictions and included maximum oxygen uptake (V̇O2max), peak power output for sprint (SprintPmax), and ramp incremental graded exercise (GXTPmax), as well as power output at ventilatory threshold (VT) and respiratory compensation point (RCP). RESULTS: Training load characteristics before, during, and after the lockdown remained statistically unchanged (p > 0.05) despite large effects (>0.8) with mean reductions of 4.7 to 25.0% during COVID-19 restrictions. There were no significant differences in maximal and submaximal power outputs, as well as relative and absolute V̇O2max between pre and post COVID-19 restrictions (p > 0.05) with small to moderate effects. DISCUSSION: These results indicate that COVID-19 restrictions did not negatively affect training characteristics and physiological performance measures in U23 elite cyclists for a period of <30 days. In contrast with recent reports on professional cyclists and other elite level athletes, these findings reveal that as long as athletes are able to maintain and/or slightly adapt their training routine, physiological performance variables remain stable.


2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (10) ◽  
pp. 2919-2925 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boris Metikos ◽  
Pavle Mikulic ◽  
Nejc Sarabon ◽  
Goran Markovic

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