Fatigue resistance: one of the biggest differences between amateurs and professional cyclists

Is FTP important? I think it is, but a high FTP does not mean you are a professional cyclist. Fatigue resistance is one of the biggest differences between the two.

What is fatigue resistance

Fatigue resistance testing can have different plans for the trainees' upcoming competitions and individual differences.

For example: let the trainee test the highest average power of 350 watts for 8 minutes in a fully energetic state, and then let him accumulate a certain amount of work (for example, after riding for 1 hour at 250 watts), and then do another 5-minute maximum average power test of 315 watts. Then 350 watts-315 watts = 35 watts, and the decay rate of the two 5-minute tests reached 10%, which is a very high decay rate, indicating that his fatigue resistance is not good. In contrast, professional athletes with higher fatigue resistance may reduce this decay rate to 3% or even lower.

In professional competitions (such as the Tour de France), professional cyclists will face higher work per kilogram. This requires higher fatigue resistance.

This means that if an amateur goes to participate in a stage of the Tour de France, he follows the main group to finish the race and is about to participate in the final sprint. His power peak in 20 seconds can reach 1300 watts when he is fully charged. However, the amateur's fatigue resistance is not good, so he can only reach 750 watts in 20 seconds after doing work, and he is completely overwhelmed by the professional cyclist next to him.

Factors affecting fatigue resistance

Pay attention to replenishing water and electrolytes during the race, especially in hot weather races. Once you lose 2% of your body weight in water, you will be powerless and wait to get off the bike and push the bike.

Carbohydrate supplementation is the decisive factor. In easy riding for more than 2 hours, you should also maintain at least 20-40 grams of carbohydrate intake per hour, and in moderate-intensity intervals or high-intensity races, you should maintain 60-90 grams of carbohydrate intake per hour.

Tags: #fatigue resistance #FTP #professional cyclist #cycling enthusiast #carbohydrate #cycling competition #cycling #road bikes