The relationship between training characteristics and durability in professional cyclists across a competitive season

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the influence of training characteristics on the fatigued power profile in professional cyclists. Data was collected from 30 under 23 professional cyclists (age: 20.1 ± 1.1 years, body mass: 69 ± 6.9 kg, height: 182.6 ± 6.2 cm, $\dot{\mathrm{V}}$O_2max: 73.8 ± 2.5 mL·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹, CP: 5.48 ± 0.38 W·kg⁻¹, W´: 17.83 ± 3.57 kJ) across a competitive season and collated in to 3 periods: early-, mid- and late-season. Two power profiles (fresh and fatigued) were created from absolute (W) and relative (W·kg⁻¹) 2-, 5-, and 12-min maximal mean power outputs. The fresh power profile consisted exclusively of power output values produced prior to 2000 kJ work (2MMP_fresh, 5MMP_fresh and 12MMP_fresh) while the fatigued power profile consisted of power output values produced exclusively post 2000 kJ (2MMP_fatigue 5MMP_fatigue and 12MMP_fatigue). Training characteristics were analysed to assess their influence on the power profiles. Absolute 5MMP_fatigue, 12MMP_fatigue and relative 12MMP_fatigue were significantly lower in late-season compared with early- and mid-season (p < 0.05). The difference in absolute 12MMP_fresh and 12MMP_fatigue was significantly greater in late than in early- and mid-season. A significant relationship was found between training time below the first ventilatory threshold (Time < VT1) and improvements in absolute and relative 2MMP_fatigue (r = 0.43 p = 0.018 and r = 0.376 p = 0.04 respectively); and between a shift towards a polarized training intensity distribution and improvements in absolute and relative 12MMP_fatigue (r = 0.414 p = 0.023 for both) between subsequent periods. In conclusion, there is greater variability in the fatigue power profile across a competitive season than the fresh power profile.

Highlights

• The fatigued power profile varies throughout a competitive season

• The difference between the fresh and fatigued power profiles is not fixed across a competitive season

• A tendency towards a polarized training intensity distribution is associated with an improvement in the fatigue power profile

KEYWORDS:

• Power profiling
• training
• professional cycling
• fatigue

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Correction

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Team Tirol KTM professional cycling team. We would also like to thank Iñigo Mujika for his expert advice in the initial stages of this research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article was originally published with errors, which have now been corrected in the online version. Please see Correction (http://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2022.2095497)

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.