H. Tanaka et al., AEROBIC AND ANAEROBIC POWER CHARACTERISTICS OF COMPETITIVE CYCLISTS IN THE UNITED-STATES CYCLING FEDERATION, International journal of sports medicine, 14(6), 1993, pp. 334-338
The purpose of this study was to characterize the aerobic and anaerobi
c capabilities of United States Cycling Federation cyclists in differe
nt categories. To determine aerobic and anaerobic power, 38 competitiv
e road cyclists (32 males, 6 females) performed a VO2Max test and a Wi
ngate anaerobic test, respectively. Male cyclists in category II had t
he highest VO2max, both in absolute and relative terms. Their VO2max w
as 6 % and 10 % higher than category Ill and IV cyclists, respectively
(4.98 +/- 0.14 vs 4.72 +/- 0.15 vs 4.54 +/- 0.121/min). A significant
difference existed between category II and IV male cyclists (p < 0.05
). VO2max for female cyclists (3.37 +/- 0.131/min) was significantly (
p < 0.05) lower than those for males. The Wingate anaerobic test revea
led that male cyclists in category II also had the highest anaerobic p
ower output. The peak power output in category II, III and IV was 13.8
6 +/- 0.23, 13.55 +/- 0.25, and 12.80 +/- 0.41 W/kg, respectively The
mean power output in category II, III, and IV was 11.22 +/- 0.18, 11.0
6 +/- 0.15, and 10.40 +/- 0.30 W/kg, respectively. The difference in t
he mean power output between category II and IV was significant (p < 0
.05). Female cyclists recorded significantly less peak and mean power
output than their male counterparts (p < 0.05). However, when expresse
d relative to lean body mass, anaerobic power was similar for both sex
es. No inter-correlation was found in any measurement between the aero
bic and anaerobic power values. On the whole, category II male cyclist
s were characterized by higher aerobic and anaerobic power outputs. Th
ese results suggest that both aerobic and anaerobic power may be impor
tant determinants for competitive cycling performance.