Physiological and performance characteristics of male professional road cyclists

Male professional road cycling competitions last between 1 hour (e.g. the t ime trial in the World Championships) and 100 hours (e.g. the Tour de Franc e). Although the final overall standings of a race are individual, it is un doubtedly a team sport. Professional road cyclists present with variable an thropometric values, but display impressive aerobic capacities [maximal pow er output 370 to 570W, maximal oxygen uptake 4.4 to 6.4 L/min and power out put at the onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA) 300 to 500W]. Because of the variable anthropometric characteristics, 'specialists' have evolved within teams whose job is to perform in different terrain and racing condi tions. In this respect, power outputs relative to mass exponents of 0.32 an d 1 seem to be the best predictors of level ground and uphill cycling abili ty, respectively. However, time trial specialists have been shown to meet r equirements to be top competitors in all terrain (level and uphill) and cyc ling conditions (individually and in a group). Based on competition heart r ate measurements, time trials are raced under steady-state conditions, the shorter time trials being raced at average intensities close to OBLA (appro ximate to 400 to 420W), with the longer ones close to the individual lactat e threshold (LT, approximate to 370 to 390W). Mass-start stages, on the oth er hand, are raced at low mean intensities (approximate to 210W for the fla t stages, approximate to 270W for the high mountain stages), but are charac terised by their intermittent nature, with cyclists spending on average 30 to 100 minutes at, and above LT, and 5 to 20 minutes at, and above OBLA.