Changes in Sex Difference in Time-Limited Ultra-Cycling Races from 6 Hours to 24 Hours

Abstract

Background and objective: Existing research shows that the sex differences in distance-limited ultra-cycling races decreased with both increasing race distance and increasing age. It is unknown, however, whether the sex differences in time-limited ultra-cycling races will equally decrease with increasing race distance and age. This study aimed to examine the sex differences regarding performance for time-limited ultra-cycling races (6, 12, and 24 h). Methods: Data were obtained from the online database of the Ultra-Cycling Marathon Association (UMCA) of time-limited ultra-cycling races (6, 12, and 24 h) from the years 1983–2019. A total of 18,241 race results were analyzed to compare cycling speed between men and women by calendar year, age group (<29; 30–39; 40–49; 50–59; 60–69; >70 years), and race duration. Results: The participation of both men (85.1%) and women (14.9%) increased between 1983 and 2019. The age of peak performance was between 40 and 59 years for men and between 30 and 59 years for women. Between 2000 and 2019, more men (63.1% of male participants and 52.2% of female participants) competed in 24 h races. In the 24 h races, the sex difference decreased significantly in all age groups. Men cycled 9.6% faster than women in the 12 h races and 4% faster in the 24 h races. Both women and men improved their performance significantly across the decades. Between 2000 and 2019, the improvement in the 24 h races were 15.6% for men and 21.9% for women. Conclusion: The sex differences in cycling speed decreased between men and women with increasing duration of ultra-cycling races and with increasing age. Women showed a greater performance improvement than men in the last 20 years. The average cycling speed of men and women started to converge in the 24 h races.

Exploring the Nutrition Strategies Employed by Ultra-Endurance Athletes to Alleviate Exercise-Induced Gastrointestinal Symptoms—A Systematic Review

“…With this in mind, it is possible that studies with relevant information were overlooked as their methods may have been too dissimilar to the chosen inclusion criteria used for this systematic literature review. Although the gender breakdown of participants in this review is similar (n = 50 male, n = 55 female), this is surprising as other authors research suggests that the strong gender gap in this sport nutrition area remains [90,91]. Sample sizes were generally small, with the number of study participants ranging from 1 to 25, with a mean of approximately n = 15 participants.…”

Biophysical characterization of the first ultra-cyclist in the world to break the 1,000 km barrier in 24-h non-stop road cycling: A case report

“…In October 2020, Stanislav Verstovšek broke that record by achieving 914.020 km. 1 In July 2021, Christoph Strasser broke the 24-h self-paced time trial WR again and was the first ultra-cyclist ever to break the 1,000 km barrier in 24 h. 2 The cyclist's performance depends on the capacity to generate sufficient propulsion to overcome the resistance acting on a cyclist (external forces) (12). Those external forces mainly consist of the drag and rolling resistance, where the drag represents about 90% of the total resistance to overcome (13)(14)(15).…”

“…Ultra-endurance events are of increasing popularity ( 1 ), with ultra-cycling attracting more and more participants in time-limited ( 2 ) and distance-limited ( 3 , 4 ) events. In ultra-cycling, finishing the longest non-stop race, the “Race Across America” (RAAM), is one of the ultimate goals ( 5 ).…”

Exercise-Induced Fluid Retention, Cardiac Volume Overload, and Peripheral Edema in Ultra-Distance Cyclists

“…The popularity of ultraendurance cycling (ultracycling) is steadily increasing, reflected by increasing participant numbers in ultracycling events over the last decades. 1 Although a uniform definition is lacking, ultracycling races usually cover distances of several hundred kilometers. 2 Most ultracycling races last several days and athletes confront extreme physical and mental conditions, including sleep deprivation, 3 and many ultracycling races do not provide any outside support.…”