Objectives: To investigate the influence of road gradient on cycling power output in male professional cyclists, and to determine whether cyclist typology (i.e., flat or climbing specialist) moderates this influence. Design: Observational study. Methods: Ninety-eight professional cyclists (27±6years; 53 flat and 45 climbing specialists). We collected power output data during both training sessions and competitions over 10 years (2013-2022). We determined the maximal mean power values attained for efforts lasting 1, 5, 10 and 20 min, during both level cycling and uphill cycling (average slope< or =5%, respectively), as well as the average road gradients on which cyclists attained their maximal mean power. Results: Maximal mean power values were higher during uphill cycling than during level cycling for all effort durations (difference ranging between 0.4 and 3.6%, all p<0.003). This finding was confirmed for flat and uphill specialists separately (p?<?0.003 for both), with a similar increase in maximal mean power values between level cycling and uphill cycling in the two typologies except for longer efforts (=10 min), in which maximal mean power values tended to increase more in climbers. Participants attained maximal mean power at an average slope of 6.0-7.3%, with no differences between effort durations or cyclist typologies. Conclusions: Professional cyclists attain higher maximal mean power values on steep than on level road gradients regardless of their typology, with an average gradient of 6-7% appearing optimal (or at least the most common) for achieving the highest maximal mean power values.
© Copyright 2022 Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. Elsevier. All rights reserved.