C. Hausswirth et al., Effects of cycling alone or in a sheltered position on subsequent running performance during a triathlon, MED SCI SPT, 31(4), 1999, pp. 599-604
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the responses during a tr
iathlon in which cycling was performed alone, as well as in a drafting posi
tion. Methods: Eight male triathletes of international level performed a sp
rint-distance triathlon (0.75-km swim, 20-km bike, 5-km run) on two differe
nt occasions, one completely alone (TA), the other as a drafter during the
bike leg of the event (TD). The speed during drafted cycling remained at al
l times identical to the no-draft situation. Results: The results revealed
that expiratory flow ((V)over dotE), oxygen uptake ((V)over dot O-2), heart
rate (HR), and blood lactate concentrations ([La-]) were significantly low
er when drafting on the bike as opposed to biking alone (112.1 vs 162.2 L.m
in(-1), 55.2 vs 64.2 mL.min(-1).kg(-1), 155 vs 166.8 beats.min(-1), and 4.0
vs 8.4 mmol.L-1, respectively). The results also showed that running after
biking in a drafting situation (for similar bike speeds) significantly imp
roved the running speed compared with that of the no-draft modality (17.8 v
s 17.1 km.h(-1)). Furthermore, (V)over dotE, (V)over dotO(2), HR. and [La-]
were significantly higher during TD run compared with TA run (161.6 vs 141
.4 L.min(-1), 70.9 vs 67.1 mL.min(-1).kg(-1), 175.3 vs 167.9 8 beats.min(-1
), and 8.1 vs 7.6 mmol.L-1, respectively). Conclusions: These results showe
d that drafting allows triathletes to save significantly on energy during t
he bike leg of a triathlon and creates the conditions for an improved runni
ng performance, with higher benefits for the strong runners.