Sex-Related Trends in Participation and Performance in the ‘Swiss Bike Masters’ from 1994–2012

Abstract

General participation in contests such as ultra-marathons and ultra-triathlons has increased considerably over the past 30 years, especially among women. This study investigated performance trends in the Swiss Bike Masters, one of the first and most prestigious mountain bike, ultra-endurance races in its class, with comparisons of participation and performance trends to similar races. The development of performance in the Swiss Bike Masters held between 1994 and 2012 was investigated by analysing the number of finishers, their age, sex, and cycling speed. Between 1994 and 2009, the athletes had to cover 120 kilometers with a total difference in altitude of 5,000 meters. Since 2010, the race distance was shortened to 105 kilometers and the total difference in altitude was reduced to 4,400 meters. The total men participating and total finishing decreased significantly, while women's participation has remained low. The age of the annual winners and the annual top three finishers showed no changes over time. Performances of the annual fastest women improved, while performances of the annual fastest men remained unchanged. To summarize, rate of finishing has decreased for men and has been stable, but low, among women. The sex difference in cycling speed for the best cyclists has decreased across the years.

What Motivates People to Engage in Sports?

“…Glorr i wsp. [17] do ko na li ana li zy udzia łu ko biet i mę żczyzn w jednym z pierw szych i naj bar dziej pre sti żo wych wy ści -gów gór skich "Swiss Bi ke Ma sters". Ana li za wy ka zała, że sto su nek ko biet do mę żczyzn uczest ni czą cych w ma ra to nach był znacz nie ni ższy.…”

“…Literature data corroborate our result. Glorr [17] analyz ed participation of women and men in one of the first and most prestigious mountain races, the "Swiss Bike Masters". The analysis showed that the pro portion of women vs. men participating in marathons was much lower.…”

Sex and age-related differences in performance in a 24-hour ultra-cycling draft-legal event – a cross-sectional data analysis

“…Cycling races can be held without drafting such as cycling time trials [30], mountain bike cycling races [31], ultra-endurance cycling races [7,8] or cycling time trials in long-distance triathlons [9,15], or with drafting such as traditional road cycling races. Regarding ultra-cycling, a recent study investigating the age trends from 2001 to 2012 in a 720 km ultra-cycling race reported that the fastest female and male performance was achieved at the age of 35.9 ± 9.6 and 38.7 ± 7.8 years, respectively [7].…”

“…Regarding ultra-cycling, a recent study investigating the age trends from 2001 to 2012 in a 720 km ultra-cycling race reported that the fastest female and male performance was achieved at the age of 35.9 ± 9.6 and 38.7 ± 7.8 years, respectively [7]. In a 120 km mountain bike cycling race held between 1994 and 2012, the age of the fastest athletes was lower than in a 720 km ultra-cycling race where the fastest females achieved the fastest race times at the age of 30.7 ± 5.0 years and males at the age of 27.1 ± 3.4 years [31]. These recent studies investigating performance in ultra-cycling used data from races where drafting was forbidden such as the 120 km mountain bike ultra-cycling race ‘Swiss Bike Master’ [31], the 720 km ‘Swiss Cycling Marathon’ as a qualifier for the ‘Race across America’ (RAAM) [7], and the ‘RAAM’ itself [8].…”

“…In a 120 km mountain bike cycling race held between 1994 and 2012, the age of the fastest athletes was lower than in a 720 km ultra-cycling race where the fastest females achieved the fastest race times at the age of 30.7 ± 5.0 years and males at the age of 27.1 ± 3.4 years [31]. These recent studies investigating performance in ultra-cycling used data from races where drafting was forbidden such as the 120 km mountain bike ultra-cycling race ‘Swiss Bike Master’ [31], the 720 km ‘Swiss Cycling Marathon’ as a qualifier for the ‘Race across America’ (RAAM) [7], and the ‘RAAM’ itself [8]. These studies showed that the participation in females was low [5,31], the performance decreased in males compared to females [31] but improved in females compared to males [7] across years, and the sex difference in performance remained unchanged [8] or decreased [7,31].…”