While a low body weight is a common goal of road cyclists, little is known about the relationship between functional lean mass and power output. Amateur female road cyclists (n = 33) performed a power profile (6, 15, 30, 60, 240, s maximal effort) on a wind-braked ergometer. Maximal mean power (MMP) for each bout was compared to lower body lean mass (LBLM) measured using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). The MMP for efforts of all durations were significantly correlated with LBLM. Relative to the duration of the efforts, the slope of the relationship reduced in a curvilinear fashion indicating that the contribution of LBLM to power output for efforts greater than 240 s is stable at ~10 W/kg LBLM. For shorter durations, the slope was greater: MMP 1 s, 64.6 W/kg LBLM (R2 = 0.64); MMP 5 s, 59.5 W/kg LBLM (R2 = 0.65); MMP 15 s, 40.5 W/kg LBLM (R2 = 0.50). The study showed that LBLM explains a moderate-to-high proportion of maximal cycling power output for efforts lasting less than 2 min in duration. Preserving lower body lean mass may be important for maintaining power output in this weight conscious population.
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