Power Profiling in U23 Professional Cyclists During a Competitive Season

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate changes in the power profile of U23 professional cyclists during a competitive season based on maximal mean power output (MMP) and derived critical power (CP) and work capacity above CP (W′) obtained during training and racing. Methods: A total of 13 highly trained U23 professional cyclists (age = 21.1 [1.2] y, maximum oxygen consumption = 73.8 [1.9] mL·kg–1·min–1) participated in this study. The cycling season was split into pre-season and in-season. In-season was divided into early-, mid-, and late-season periods. During pre-season, a CP test was completed to derive CPtest and W′test. In addition, 2-, 5-, and 12-minute MMP during in-season were used to derive CPfield and W′field. Results: There were no significant differences in absolute 2-, 5-, and 12-minute MMP, CPfield, and W′field between in-season periods. Due to changes in body mass, relative 12-minute MMP was higher in late-season compared with early-season (P = .025), whereas relative CPfield was higher in mid- and late-season (P = .031 and P = .038, respectively) compared with early-season. There was a strong correlation (r = .77–.83) between CPtest and CPfield in early- and mid-season but not late-season. Bland–Altman plots and standard error of estimates showed good agreement between CPtest and in-season CPfield but not between W′test and W′field. Conclusion: These findings reveal that the power profile remains unchanged throughout the in-season, except for relative 12-minute MMP and CPfield in late-season. One pre-season and one in-season CP test are recommended to evaluate in-season CPfield and W′field.