The reliability of a 30-minute performance test on a Lode cycle ergometer

Abstract

High retest reliability is desirable in tests used to monitor athletic performance. The purpose of the present study was to determine the reliability of a 30-minute cycle test on a cycle ergometer (Lode, Groningen, Netherlands). Following an incremental VO_2max test, 10 highly-trained cyclists (mean ± SD; age = 30 ± 6 years; VO_2max = 67.7 ± 2.5 mL.kg^-1.min^-1) completed three 30-minute cycling tests on a Lode cycle ergometer each separated by more than 48 hours. The cycle test implemented a fixed workload for 15-minutes (set at 70% VO_2max power output), followed by a 15-minute time-trial. Variables determined during the test were mean power (W_mean), blood lactate concentration at 15-minutes (BL₁₅), peak blood lactate concentration (BL_peak) and mean heart rate (HR_mean). W_mean in trial 1 (312 ± 23 W) increased by 0.8% (95% confidence interval: -0.7 to 2.3%) in trial 2 and by a further 0.4% (-0.3 to 1.1%) in trial 3. The typical error of measurement expressed as a coefficient of variation (CV%) for W_mean was 1.3% (1.0 to 1.8%). The CV for BL₁₅ was 10.9% (8.3 to 15.9%), BL_peak; 8.4% (6.5 to 13.0%) and HR_mean; 2.4% (1.8 to 3.4%). The average intraclass correlations between trials were W_mean: 0.98 (0.96 to 1.00), BL₁₅: 0.94 (0.85 to 0.98), BL_peak: 0.88 (0.71- 0.97) and HR_mean: 0.88 (0.71 to 0.97). A strong correlation existed between VO_2max and PPO in the incremental test and W_mean in the 30-minute TT (r = 0.86, 0.93, respectively). The testing protocol performed on a Lode cycle ergometer in the current study is reproducible in highly-trained cyclists, making it a reliable method for monitoring cycling performance.