title: Within-Season Distribution of External Training and Racing Workload in Professional Male Road Cyclists.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the within-season external workloads of professional male road cyclists for optimal training prescription.
  
  
  METHODS
  Training and racing of 4 international competitive professional male cyclists (age 24 ± 2 y, body mass 77.6 ± 1.5 kg) were monitored for 12 mo before the world team-time-trial championships. Three within-season phases leading up to the team-time-trial world championships on September 20, 2015, were defined as phase 1 (Oct-Jan), phase 2 (Feb-May), and phase 3 (June-Sept). Distance and time were compared between training and racing days and over each of the various phases. Times spent in absolute (<100, 100-300, 400-500, >500 W) and relative (0-1.9, 2.0-4.9, 5.0-7.9, >8 W/kg) power zones were also compared for the whole season and between phases 1-3.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Total distance (3859 ± 959 vs 10911 ± 620 km) and time (240.5 ± 37.5 vs 337.5 ± 26 h) were lower (P < .01) in phase 1 than phase 2. Total distance decreased (P < .01) from phase 2 to phase 3 (10911 ± 620 vs 8411 ± 1399 km, respectively). Mean absolute (236 ± 12.1 vs 197 ± 3 W) and relative (3.1 ± 0 vs 2.5 ± 0 W/kg) power output were higher (P < .05) during racing than training, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Volume and intensity differed between training and racing over each of 3 distinct within-season phases.
authors.forename: Alan J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Metcalfe
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Menaspà
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Villerius
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Quod
authors.forename: Jeremiah J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Peiffer
authors.forename: Andrew D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Govus
authors.forename: Chris R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Abbiss
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D054874:Athletic Performance; D001642:Bicycling / Q000502:physiology*; D003163:Competitive Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D064797:Physical Conditioning, Human; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012621:Seasons; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: SRM Powermeter; power output; time trial; training load