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Physiological and anthropometric characteristics of junior cyclists of different specialties and performance levels
Author(s) -
Menaspà P.,
Rampinini E.,
Bosio A.,
Carlomagno D.,
Riggio M.,
Sassi A.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of medicine and science in sports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.575
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1600-0838
pISSN - 0905-7188
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0838.2010.01168.x
Subject(s) - sprint , vo2 max , anthropometry , zoology , anaerobic exercise , mathematics , aerobic exercise , medicine , physical therapy , biology , heart rate , blood pressure
This study analyzes the anthropometric and physiological characteristics of junior cyclists within different cycling specialties and different performance levels. One hundred and thirty‐two junior riders (16.8 ± 0.6 years, 177 ± 6 cm, 66.3 ± 6.7 kg) were tested for anthropometric, aerobic and anaerobic parameters. Cyclists were classified within specialties [uphill (UH) flat terrain (FT) all terrain (AT) and sprint (SP)] and performance levels, based on a seasonal ranking [low level (LL) medium level (ML) and high level (HL)]. The results of the two‐way analysis of variance showed that FT and SP have greater body dimensions than UH and AT ( P <0.001). Concerning the relative aerobic parameters, AT and UH have higher values ( P <0.001) than FT and SP [maximal oxygen uptake (VO 2max ): 69.4 ± 3.6, 67.5 ± 5.0, 62.8 ± 4.5 and 61.9 ± 4.1 mL/kg/min, respectively] while absolute parameters resulted higher for FT and AT ( P ≤0.008). The relative power produced in the 5 s test was higher ( P <0.001) for AT and SP than FT and UH (16.7 ± 1.1, 16.6 ± 0.6, 14.9 ± 1.7 and 14.4 ± 1.7 W/kg, respectively). Concerning the performance level, only the age and the aerobic parameters resulted differently within levels (VO 2max : HL=67.3 ± 4.9, ML=65.5 ± 5.1 and LL=63.3 ± 5.2 mL/kg/min), with the highest values for HL ( P ≤0.007). In conclusion, juniors are specialized in the same way as professional cyclists and the aerobic characteristics are confirmed as significant in the performance level assessment.