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Exercise intensity during off-road cycling competitions.

Franco Impellizzeri1, Aldo Sassi, Manuel Rodriguez-Alonso

  • 1Laboratorio di Fisologia, Sport Service MAPEI, Castellanza, Varese, Italy. mapeisport@tin.it

Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
|November 20, 2002
PubMed
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Cross-country mountain biking races are intensely demanding, with cyclists spending over half the time in a moderate heart rate zone. Training programs should reflect this high exercise intensity for optimal performance.

Area of Science:

  • Sports Physiology
  • Exercise Science
  • Biomechanics

Background:

  • Cross-country mountain biking is a demanding sport requiring high levels of cardiovascular fitness.
  • Understanding the physiological demands is crucial for effective training and performance optimization.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify and describe the intensity profile of cross-country mountain biking races.
  • To analyze heart rate (HR) data recorded during actual competitions.

Main Methods:

  • Nine mountain bikers competed in four races.
  • Pre-competition tests determined lactate threshold (LT), onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA), and HR-VO2max relationships.
  • Statistical analysis included five cyclists who completed all races.

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Main Results:

  • Cyclists spent 51% of the race time in the moderate HR zone (between LT and OBLA) and 31% in the hard zone (above OBLA).
  • Average HR was 171 bpm, representing 90% of maximum HR and 84% of VO2max.
  • Races averaged 147 minutes, with significant time spent in higher intensity zones.

Conclusions:

  • Cross-country mountain biking events are characterized by very high exercise intensity, particularly at the race start.
  • Coaches need to consider the effort distribution and high intensity when designing training programs for mountain bikers.