The Record Power Profile to Assess Performance in Elite Cyclists

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the Record Power Profile (RPP) of cyclists, i. e., the relationship between different record Power Output (PO) and the corresponding durations through a whole race season. We hypothesized that PO of different effort durations could differ according to the cyclist's category and race performance profile. 17 cyclists (9 professionals and 8 elites) performed all trainings and competitions during 10 months with a mobile power meter device (SRM) mounted on their bike. The results show that the cyclists' RPP is a hyperbolic relationship between the different record PO and time durations. It significantly reflects the characteristics of different skills: (1) sprinters have the highest record PO within zone 5, (2) climbers present the highest record PO within zones 2-3 and, (3) climbers and flat specialists have higher zone 1 record PO than sprinters. These results suggest that the RPP represents "a signature" of the cyclists' physical capacity and that it allows the determination of different training intensities. The RPP appears as a new concept that is interesting for coaches and scientists in order to evaluate performance in cycling.