POWER AND VELOCITY OUTPUTS IN POINTS RACE

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the power and velocity changes during sprinting in a points race. The points race is a 30 km track competition. The final placings are determined according to distance covered and points won by riders. The SRM system was installed onto the cyclists' bike and the power output and the velocity were recorded in three Cycling World Cup Championships. 77 representative sprints were selected in the races to calculate power and velocity in each sprint. The findings showed that a points race cyclist should employ a drafting strategy wisely to save the energy until a proper moment in the point laps. Also, the time lag between maximum power and maximum velocity could give cyclists an idea on the best timing to start the sprint in points race.