Physiological demands and characteristics of the participants in a cycling sportive event

Power Assessment in Road Cycling: A Narrative Review

“…As stated in the previous section, FTP obtained through Allen and Coggan's method [19] is very highly correlated to steady-state physiological concepts, such as MLSS [28] and RCP [45,46]. Despite this, this testing duration may have some setbacks: experience and pacing strategy play an important role in long time trial-like efforts [52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63] and the results of the test seem to be strongly influenced by previous familiarization [54], especially in inexperienced athletes. As the FTP is, per definition, a quasi-steady state that relies mainly on aerobic metabolism, it could be suggested that almost any steady state time trial effort of sufficient duration would be related to this threshold [55].…”

“…Interestingly, the power profile of riders who specialize in a particular type of event can be matched with data obtained through the analysis of different types of races, such as time trials [60], different grand tour stages [61], or even cycling sportive events [62]. The opportunity to analyze the power requirements that characterize a specific event and then compare them to the strengths and weaknesses of the rider should not be overlooked due to its potential applications in the practical field.…”

“…Finally, power profiling has allowed researchers and coaches to objectively track riders' levels and changes in performance without the need to use expensive laboratory equipment to assess fitness through cardiorespiratory values, such as VO 2max or VT/LT. Outside of the practical field, scientists have also started to acknowledge this potential way of assessing performance, and, nowadays, it is increasingly common to find studies in which the participants' fitness levels or changes in performance are measured in W/kg [25,[62][63][64].…”