title: No improvement in race performance by naps in male ultra-endurance cyclists in a 600-km ultra-cycling race.
abstract: Ultra-endurance  performance  is  of  increasing  popularity.    We  investigated  the  associations between  anthropometry,  training  and  support  during  racing,  with  race  performance  in  67  male recreational ultra-endurance cyclists participating in the 'Swiss Cycling Marathon' over 600 kilometres, an official qualifier for the cycling ultra-marathon 'Paris-Brest-Paris'.  The 54 finishers showed no differences in anthropometry and did not train differently compared to the 13 non-finishers.  During the race, the finishers were significantly more frequently racing alone than being followed by a support crew.  After bivariate analysis, percent body fat (r = 0.43), the cycling distance per training unit (r = -0.36), the duration per training unit (r = -0.31) and the sleep time during the race (r = 0.50) were related to overall race time.  The 23 non-sleepers in the finisher group completed the race within (mean and IQR) 1,567 (1,453-1,606) min, highly significantly faster than the 31 sleepers with 1,934 (1,615-2,033) min (P = 0.0003).  No variable of support during the race was associated with race time.  After multivariate analysis, percent body fat (P = 0.026) and duration per training unit (P = 0.005) remained predictor variables for race time.  To summarize, for a successful finish in a cycling ultra-marathon over 600 kilometres such as the 'Swiss Cycling Marathon', percent body fat and duration per training unit were related to race time whereas equipment and support during the race showed no association.  Athletes with naps were highly significantly slower than athletes without naps.
authors.affiliation: Gesundheitszentrum St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland. beat.knechtle@hispeed.ch
authors.forename: Beat
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Knechtle
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wirth
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Knechtle
authors.forename: Christoph Alexander
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Rüst
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rosemann
authors.forename: Romuald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lepers
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000886:Anthropometry; D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D001642:Bicycling / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000502:physiology*; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*