| The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the blood lactate response during a laboratory exercise test and time trial (TT) performance on the road across a training season. Nine competitive master level male cyclists (44 +/- 6.4 yrs) completed 18 weeks of structured training using power meters. Testing occurred at baseline (P0) and after each 6-week block of training. For each test week, subjects completed a maximal exercise test on a cycle ergometer in the laboratory and a 16.1 km TT on a road course. Heart rate, blood lactate, rating of perceived exertion, and oxygen consumption (VO2) were recorded at each 3-min stage during the exercise test. VO2 (52.0 +/- 5.2 to 57.6 +/- 6.9 ml·kg·min-1) and peak power (319.2 +/- 39.5 to 352.8 +/- 49.1 watts) increased (p=<0.0001) 11% from baseline to the end of training. Power at lactate threshold, 4 mmol·L -1 of lactate, Dmax, second ventilatory threshold, and onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA) increased most during the first 6 weeks of training and only power at OBLA continued to increase for the next 12 weeks. TT times (28.1 +/- 3.2 to 25.9 +/- 2.2 min, p=0.0008) and average watts per kg (3.5 +/- 0.6 to 3.8 +/- 0.2 watts·kg -1, p=0.002) improved 8% from baseline to the end of training. Time trial performance in watts·kg-1 after each phase of training correlated most with peak watts (R2 = 0.83--0.88, p = 0.001) and VO2 max (R2 = 0.76--0.86, p = 0.01) attained during the maximal exercise test. |
