Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the power output (PO) during the cycle phase of the Beijing World Cup test event of the future Olympic triathlon in China 2008. Methods: Ten elite triathletes (5 females, 5 males) performed two laboratory tests: an incremental cycling test during which PO, heart rate (HR), at ventilatory thresholds (VT1, VT2), maximal aerobic power (MAP) were assessed, and an all-out test to record maximal power output (PmaxA). During the cycle part of competition, PO and HR were measured directly. The amount of time spent below PO at VT1 (zone 1), between PO at VT1 and VT2 (zone 2), between PO at VT2 and MAP (zone 3) and above MAP (zone 4) was analyzed. Results: A signifi cant decrease in average in PO, speed and HR values was observed among periods during the cycle phase. The distribution of time spent at different intensities was 51 ± 9 % for zone 1, 17 ± 6 % for zone 2, 15 ± 3 % for zone 3 and 17 ± 6 % was performed at workloads higher than MAP obtained during maximal cycling test (zone 4). From HR values, the triathletes spent 27 ± 12 % in zone 1, 26 ± 8 % in zone 2 and 48 ± 14 % above VT2. Conclusion: This study indicates that Olympic Distance triathlon requires a higher aerobic and anaerobic involvement than constant workload cycling exercise classically analyzed in laboratory settings or Ironman triathlons. Furthermore monitoring direct PO could be more suitable to quantify the intensity of a race with pacing strategies than classical HR measurements.
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