Vieira-Cavalcante, Victor ORCID: 0000-0002-3878-9401 (external link), Venancio-Dallan, Leticia ORCID: 0000-0003-1639-1037 (external link), Pereira-Santana, Ottavio ORCID: 0000-0003-2282-6383 (external link), Bertuzzi, Rômulo ORCID: 0000-0002-0407-9620 (external link), Tomazini, Fabiano ORCID: 0000-0001-6002-8134 (external link), Bishop, David ORCID: 0000-0002-6956-9188 (external link), Cristina-Souza, Gislaine ORCID: 0000-0001-7770-4514 (external link) and Lima-Silva, Adriano E ORCID: 0000-0002-0613-5104 (external link) (2022) Effect of different pacing strategies on 4-km cycling time trial performance. Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research, 55. ISSN 0100-879X

Abstract

In cycling, there is a body of evidence that supports that an all-out start strategy is superior to an even-pacing strategy, but it is unknown whether an all-out start strategy is superior to a self-paced strategy. In the present study, we investigated the effects of three different pacing strategies on 4-km cycling time trial performance. After preliminary trials (familiarization trials and a baseline 4-km cycling time trial), in a randomized and counterbalanced order, twelve male cyclists (32.3±7.2 years old, maximum rate of O2 uptake (.VO2 peak) 4.3±0.4 L/min) completed: 1) a self-paced 4-km cycling time trial; 2) an all-out start (B10 s), followed by maintenance of the average baseline trial power for the first km and self-paced cycling for the remaining trial (all-out+mean); and 3) an all-out start (B10 s), followed by a power 5% above the average baseline trial power for the first km and self-paced cycling for the remaining trial (all-out+5%mean). Although there was a significant interaction between power and distance (P=0.1) with different power distribution profiles throughout the trial, there was no significant difference (P=0.99) between the three strategies for overall exercise performance (self-paced 379.8±13.9 s, all-out+mean 380.0±16.0 s, and all-out+5%mean 380.2±11.5 s). Oxygen uptake, rating of perceived effort, and heart rate were also similar across the pacing strategies. Different all-out start strategies did not confer additional benefits to performance compared to a self-paced strategy.

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