Modification of Cycling Biomechanics During a Swim-to-Cycle Trial

Anne Delextrat (1) , Véronique Tricot (1) , Thierry Bernard (1) , Fabrice Vercruyssen (1) , Christophe Hausswirth (2) , Jeanick Brisswalter (1)

1 UTLN - Université de Toulon
2 INSEP - Institut national du sport et de l'éducation physique

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of drafting, i.e., swimming directly behind a competitor, on biomechanical adaptation during subsequent cycling. Eight well-trained male triathletes underwent three submaximal sessions in a counterbalanced order. These sessions comprised a 10-min ride on a bicycle ergometer at 75% of maximal aerobic power (MAP) at a freely chosen cadence. This exercise was preceded either by a 750-m swim performed alone at competition pace (SCA trial: swimming-cycling alone), a 750-m swim in a drafting position at the same pace as during SCA (SCD trial: swimming-cycling with drafting), or a cycling warm-up at 30% of MAP for the same duration as the SCA trial (CTRL trial). The results indicated that the decrease in metabolic load when swimming in a drafting position (SCD trial) was associated with a signifi cantly lower pedal rate and signifi cantly higher mean and peak resultant torques when compared to the SCA trial, p < 0.05. These results could be partly explained by the lower relative intensity during swimming in the SCD trial when compared with the SCA trial, involving a delayed manifestation of fatigue in the muscles of the lower limbs at the onset of cycling.

Mots clés: pedal rate; resultant torque; asymmetry; neuromuscular fatigue

Domaines: Sciences de l'Homme et Société; Sport; Sciences de l'Homme et Société; Sport; Physiologie du sport

Anne Delextrat, Véronique Tricot, Thierry Bernard, Fabrice Vercruyssen, Christophe Hausswirth, et al.. Modification of Cycling Biomechanics During a Swim-to-Cycle Trial. Journal of Applied Biomechanics, 2005, 21, pp.297 - 308. ⟨hal-01762706⟩