title: Performance level and cardiopulmonary responses during a cycle-run trial.
abstract: To determine the effect of triathlete performance level on the cardiorespiratory responses elicited by the cycle-run succession, eight regionally and nationally-ranked (Competitive) and five internationally-ranked (Elite) male triathletes underwent four successive laboratory trials: 1) an incremental treadmill test, 2) an incremental cycle test, 3) 30 min of cycling followed by 20 min of running (C-R), and 4) a 20-min control run (R) at the same speed as the run in C-R. Before and 10 min after the third and fourth trials the triathletes underwent lung function testing: spirometry and diffusing capacity testing for carbon monoxide (DL(CO)). During the C-R trial blood samples were drawn to measure venous lactate concentration. During all trials ventilatory data were collected every minute using an automated breath-by-breath system. The results showed that 1) the oxygen uptake (VO2) of post-cycling running versus running alone was similar for both groups; 2) the ventilatory responses (VE, VE/VO2, VE/VC02 and f) of C-R running versus R were significantly higher (P < 0.005) for the Competitive group; and 3) a significant decrease (P< 0.05) in DL(CO) was also noted after the C-R trial in the Competitive group but not in the Elite group. We concluded that 1) the ventilatory responses during a run subsequent to cycling may be related to the triathlete performance level, and 2) the C-R trial induced specific alterations in pulmonary function that may be associated with respiratory muscle alteration and exercise-induced hypoxemia in the Competitive triathletes.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Sport, Performance Santé, UFR-STAPS, Montpellier, France. Olivier.Hue@univ-ag.fr
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hue
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Le Gallais
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boussana
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chollet
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Prefaut
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001642:Bicycling / Q000502:physiology*; D003163:Competitive Behavior; D005080:Exercise Test; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D018763:Muscle Fatigue / Q000502:physiology*; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011653:Pulmonary Diffusing Capacity; D011659:Pulmonary Gas Exchange; D012420:Running / Q000502:physiology*; D013147:Spirometry; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D019344:Lactic Acid