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[RC] One endurance athlete - Ridecamp Guest

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Authors DT Martin, MJ Quod
Title   Has Armstrong's cycle efficiency improved?
Full source     Journal of Applied Physiology, 2005, Vol 99, Iss 4, pp 1628-1629

This case describes the physiological maturation from ages 21 to 28 yr of the 
bicyclist who has now become the six-time consecutive Grand Champion of the 
Tour de France, at ages 27-32 yr. Maximal oxygen uptake ((V) over dot o(2max)) 
in the trained state remained at similar to 6 l/min, lean body weight remained 
at similar to 70 kg, and maximal heart rate declined from 207 to 200 beats/min. 
Blood lactate threshold was typical of competitive cyclists in that it occurred 
at 76-85% (V) over dot o(2max), yet maximal blood lactate concentration was 
remarkably low in the trained state. It appears that an 8% improvement in 
muscular efficiency and thus power production when cycling at a given oxygen 
uptake((V) over dot o(2)) is the characteristic that improved most as this 
athlete matured from ages 21 to 28 yr. It is noteworthy that at age 25 yr, this 
champion developed advanced cancer, requiring surgeries and chemotherapy. 
During the months leading up to each of his Tour de France victories, he 
reduced body weight and body fat by 4-7 kg (i.e., similar to 7%). Therefore, 
over the 7-yr period, an improvement in muscular efficiency and reduced body 
fat contributed equally to a remarkable 18% improvement in his steady-state 
power per kilogram body weight when cycling at a given (V) over dot o(2) (e.g., 
5 l/min). It is hypothesized that the improved muscular efficiency probably 
reflects changes in muscle myosin type stimulated from years of training 
intensely for 3-6 h on most days.


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