Reliability of a 2-bout exercise test on a wattbike cycle ergometer.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the intraday and interday reliability of a 2 × 4-min performance test on a cycle ergometer (Wattbike) separated by 30 min of passive recovery (2 × 4MMP).


METHODS
Twelve highly trained cyclists (mean ± SD; age = 20 ± 2 y, predicted VO2max = 59.0 ± 3.6 mL · kg-1 · min-1) completed six 2 × 4MMP cycling tests on a Wattbike ergometer separated by 7 d. Mean power was measured to determine intraday (test 1 [T1] to test 2 [T2]) and interday reliability (weeks 1-6) over the repeated trials.


RESULTS
The mean intraday reliabilities of the 2 × 4MMP test, as expressed by the typical error of measurement (TEM, W) and coefficient of variation (CV, %) over the 6 wk, were 10.0 W (95% confidence limits [CL] 8.2-11.8), and 2.6% (95%CL 2.1-3.1), respectively. The mean interday reliability TEM and CV for T1 over the 6 wk were 10.4 W (95%CL 8.7-13.3) and 2.7% (95%CL 2.3-3.5), respectively, and 11.7 W (95%CL 9.8-15.1) and 3.0% (95%CL 2.5-3.9) for T2.


CONCLUSIONS
The testing protocol performed on a Wattbike cycle ergometer in the current study is reproducible in highly trained cyclists. The high intraday and interday reliability make it a reliable method for monitoring cycling performance and for investigating factors that affect performance in cycling events.
Dept of Sport and Leisure Studies, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand.
Matthew W
MW
Driller
Christos K
CK
Argus
Jason C
JC
Bartram
Jacinta
J
Boniventura
David T
DT
Martin
Nicholas P
NP
West
Shona L
SL
Halson
D000293:Adolescent; D054874:Athletic Performance; D001642:Bicycling; D004867:Equipment Design; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006801:Humans; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D053580:Muscle Strength; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult