The Record Power Profile of Male Professional Cyclists: Normative Values Obtained From a Large Database

  1. Muriel, Xabier 2
  2. Valenzuela, Pedro L. 1
  3. Barranco-Gil, David 1
  4. Pallarés, Jesús G. 2
  5. Zabala, Mikel 6
  6. van Erp, Teun 3
  7. Lamberts, Robert P. 3
  8. Gandia-Soriano, Alexis 5
  9. Mateo-March, Manuel 14
  10. Lucia, Alejandro 17
  1. 1 Universidad Europea de Madrid
    info

    Universidad Europea de Madrid

    Madrid, España

    ROR https://ror.org/04dp46240

  2. 2 Universidad de Murcia
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    Universidad de Murcia

    Murcia, España

    ROR https://ror.org/03p3aeb86

  3. 3 Stellenbosch University
    info

    Stellenbosch University

    Stellenbosch, Sudáfrica

    ROR https://ror.org/05bk57929

  4. 4 Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche
    info

    Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche

    Elche, España

    ROR https://ror.org/01azzms13

  5. 5 Universitat de València
    info

    Universitat de València

    Valencia, España

    ROR https://ror.org/043nxc105

  6. 6 Universidad de Granada
    info

    Universidad de Granada

    Granada, España

    ROR https://ror.org/04njjy449

  7. 7 Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre
    info

    Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre

    Madrid, España

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Revista:
International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance

ISSN: 1555-0265,  1555-0273

Año de publicación: 2022

Páginas: 1-10

Tipo: Artículo

DOI: 10.1123/IJSPP.2021-0263 GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openAcceso abierto editor

Otras publicaciones en: International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance

Resumen

Purpose: To present normative data for the record power profile of male professional cyclists attending to team categories and riding typologies. Methods: Power output data registered from 4 professional teams during 8 years (N = 144 cyclists, 129,262 files, and 1062 total seasons [7 (5) per cyclist] corresponding to both training and competition sessions) were analyzed. Cyclists were categorized as ProTeam (n = 46) or WorldTour (n = 98) and as all-rounders (n = 65), time trialists (n = 11), climbers (n = 50), sprinters (n = 11), or general classification contenders (n = 7). The record power profile was computed as the highest maximum mean power (MMP) value attained for different durations (1 s to 240 min) in both relative (W·kg−1) and absolute units (W). Results: Significant differences between ProTeam and WorldTour were found for both relative (P = .002) and absolute MMP values (P = .006), with WT showing lower relative, but not absolute, MMP values at shorter durations (30–60 s). However, higher relative and absolute MMP values were recorded for very short- (1 s) and long-duration efforts (60 and 240 min for relative MMP values and ≥5 min for absolute ones). Differences were also found regarding cyclists’ typologies for both relative and absolute MMP values (P < .001 for both), with sprinters presenting the highest relative and absolute MMP values for short-duration efforts (5–30 s) and general classification contenders presenting the highest relative MMP values for longer efforts (1–240 min). Conclusions: The present results––obtained from the largest cohort of professional cyclists assessed to date—could be used to assess cyclists’ capabilities and indicate that the record power profile can differ between cyclists’ categories and typologies.

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