Despite many studies describing the physiological characteristics of professional road
cyclists and recent work describing the demands of competition, there is a paucity of
similar information regarding elite mountain bike (MTB) cyclists. The aim of the
present work was to describe the physiological characteristics and the demands of
competition for successful MTB cyclists relative to successful road cyclists.
Internationally competitive cyclists from both disciplines (seven MTB and seven road)
completed the following laboratory tests: anthropometric measurements, an incremental
cycle ergometer test and a 30 minute laboratory time trial. In addition, the power output
profile obtained in the field from a world-class MTB cyclist riding a simulated race
were compared to successful road cycling performances (placing top 3) in flat (FLAT),
semi-mountainous (SEMO), high-mountainous (HIMO), individual time trial (ITT) and
criterium (CRIT) road races.
Due to conversion problems, 6 sentences have been omitted. For full abstract, see 01front.pdf.
These results indicate that success in international MTB racing
requires high power-to-weight characteristics complemented by a light and lean
physique. MTB racing is associated with greater torque at the pedal crank, a more
constant effort with less time at lower power outputs and a higher frequency of highintensity
surges than road racing. Therefore coaches should take into account these
unique MTB racing characteristics when devising training programs for elite athletes.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/218610 |
| Date | January 2003 |
| Creators | Lee, Hamilton, n/a |
| Publisher | University of Canberra. Health Sciences |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | ), Copyright Hamilton Lee |
Page generated in 0.0018 seconds