This article reports on exercise intensities in cyclists of different levels during races of varying stages.
Heart rate monitors have been used for monitoring the exercise intensity during races by athletes. The intensity during racing by cyclists with varying degrees of abilities has been studied by scientists using the data provided by heart rate monitors. Seven riders performed the four-stage cycle race. Palmer et al in the year 1994 used the heart rate monitor to study the different intensities exhibited by these cyclists. The two stages of distances covered were 105 and 110 kilometers followed by 16 kilometer time trial and ended with climbing of a short hill. Each cyclist expended almost all the racing time at above 80 percent heart rates than his maximal heart rate. During the flat distance coverage of 105 and 110 kilometers, heart rates were more than 70 percent of the HR max for more than 80 percent of the racing time.
Different stages of the Tour de France in 1999 were studied for heart rate responses by Lucia et al. During the travel on flat ground, the cyclists' heart rates were less than 75 percent of HR max throughout 85 percent of racing time that were spent. When the flat surfaces were substituted by many hilly passes, the heart rate came down to 63 percent. The cyclists experienced heart rates of more than 90 percent of HR max only during 10 percent of the racing times.
With the cycle races lasting for 7 hours, these cyclists exerted heart rates close to the HR max only for 45 minutes. The intensity of time trials was studied by another group of scientists named Padilla in the year 2000 on eighteen internationally renowned advanced cyclists. These tests were performed during nine varied stage races between 1993 and 1995. The time trials were tabulated under five standards depending on the distance, quality of racing ground and racing format. The preliminary time trials told above meant heart rate and percentage HR max. The preliminary time trials were for a distance of 7.3 1.1 kilometers covered in 594 99 seconds when the cyclists expended as high as 92 7 percent of their racing time above 4 m mole per liter of lactate threshold than other time trials. The cyclists travelled for 42.2 25.8 minutes at intensity above lactate threshold.
Mass-start stages of leading athletes were also analyzed for heart rate and time trial by Padilla et al. in the year 2001. During the flat surface cycling, their average heart rate was 51 percent of HR max while during racing in the hilly ranges; their heart rate was 58 percent of HR max. However during the high-mountainous races, their heart rate went up to 61 percent HR max. The duration of time trial above lactate threshold were 32, 58 and 93 minutes respectively.
Author Resource:
Looking for more information about heart rate monitors??, Alison Addy writes for http://www.cyclingmind.com . Read additional info about cyclists heart rates or heart rate training at http://www.cyclingmind.com/HeartRateMonitors.html
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