Assessment of the Reproducibility of Performance Testing on an Air-Braked Cycle Ergometer

The purposes of this study were (I) to assess the reproducibility of endurance performance testing on an air-braked cycle ergometer, and (II) to compare laboratory performances to performances in road races. Ten well-trained, competitive cyclists (peak power output [PPO] 443 +/- 37 W, [values are me...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of sports medicine 1996-05, Vol.17 (4), p.293-298
Main Authors: Palmer, G. S., Dennis, S. C., Noakes, T. D., Hawley, J. A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bicycling - physiology
Biological and medical sciences
Exercise - physiology
Exercise Test
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Heart Rate
Humans
Physical Endurance - physiology
Reproducibility of Results
Training and Testing
Vertebrates: body movement. Posture. Locomotion. Flight. Swimming. Physical exercise. Rest. Sports
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Summary:The purposes of this study were (I) to assess the reproducibility of endurance performance testing on an air-braked cycle ergometer, and (II) to compare laboratory performances to performances in road races. Ten well-trained, competitive cyclists (peak power output [PPO] 443 +/- 37 W, [values are mean +/- SD]) undertook either: (I) three 20 km and three 40 km time trials (TT) on an air braked ergometry system (Kingcycle) (n = 6), and/or (II) three 40 km laboratory TT and two 40 km road TT competitions (n = 8). The time taken for the laboratory simulated 20 km and 40 km TT rides were highly reproducible (coefficient of variation 1.1 +/- 0.9% and 1.0 +/- 0.5%, respectively). However, the mean power output and heart rate were significantly different (p < 0.0001) between the 20 km and 40 km TT (327.5 +/- 16.9 vs 303.9 +/- 14.9 W and 171.4 +/- 5.1 vs 168.3 +/- 4.4 beats/min, respectively). A strong relationship (r = 0.99, p < 0.001) was observed between the mean cycling time and the average sustained power output. A significant correlation (r = 0.98, p < 0.001) was also observed between laboratory and road race times, although road race times were, on average, some 8% slower. These findings indicate that the Kingcycle ergometry system can be used as a reliable method of assessing short term endurance cycling performance.
ISSN:0172-4622
1439-3964
DOI:10.1055/s-2007-972849