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Power–cadence relationship in endurance cycling

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Abstract

In maximal sprint cycling, the power–cadence relationship to assess the maximal power output (P max) and the corresponding optimal cadence (C opt) has been widely investigated in experimental studies. These studies have generally reported a quadratic power–cadence relationship passing through the origin. The aim of the present study was to evaluate an equivalent method to assess P max and C opt for endurance cycling. The two main hypotheses were: (1) in the range of cadences normally used by cyclists, the power–cadence relationship can be well fitted with a quadratic regression constrained to pass through the origin; (2) P max and C opt can be well estimated using this quadratic fit. We tested our hypothesis using a theoretical and an experimental approach. The power–cadence relationship simulated with the theoretical model was well fitted with a quadratic regression and the bias of the estimated P max and C opt was negligible (1.0 W and 0.6 rpm). In the experimental part, eight cyclists performed an incremental cycling test at 70, 80, 90, 100, and 110 rpm to yield power–cadence relationships at fixed blood lactate concentrations of 3, 3.5, and 4 mmol L−1. The determined power outputs were well fitted with quadratic regressions (R 2 = 0.94–0.96, residual standard deviation = 1.7%). The 95% confidence interval for assessing individual P max and C opt was ±4.4 W and ±2.9 rpm. These theoretical and experimental results suggest that P max, C opt, and the power–cadence relationship around C opt could be well estimated with the proposed method.

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Acknowledgments

These studies were supported by the Federal Council of Sports, Switzerland (ESK/BASPO). The authors are grateful for the participants’ cooperation in these studies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Biomechanics, ETH Zurich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Str. 10, 8093, Zurich, Switzerland

    Umberto Emanuele & Jachen Denoth

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  1. Umberto Emanuele
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  2. Jachen Denoth
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Correspondence to Jachen Denoth.

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Communicated by Guido Ferretti.

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Emanuele, U., Denoth, J. Power–cadence relationship in endurance cycling. Eur J Appl Physiol 112, 365–375 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-011-1987-z

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