Author(s): SIBLOT, A., BIRAT, A., GUILHEM, G., MORALES-ARTACHO, A.J., Institution: FRENCH NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF SPORT INSEP, Country: FRANCE, Abstract-ID: 2662

INTRODUCTION:
In draft-legal triathlon, the cycling leg is a decisive link between disciplines and conditions running performance. While technical and tactical factors influence power demands, large-scale evidence comparing cycling external loads across sex, formats, and competitive contexts in elite athletes is lacking. This study aimed to characterize cycling power output and distribution across sex and race formats in international-level triathletes.
METHODS:
Twenty-five international triathletes (8 women/17 men; 18.9 ± 1.6 years old; V̇O2max: 64.0 ± 4.5 and 75.4 ± 5.9 ml/min/kg respectively) were monitored over three consecutive seasons on French, European and World Triathlon circuits. Race data were retained only when a laboratory test from the same season was available, yielding 152 races across Super-Sprint (SS: 10km bike), Sprint (S: 20km), and Short Distance (SD: 40km) formats. The physiological assessment protocol consisted of an incremental step cycling test to determine Lactate threshold (LT) and Lactate Turning Point (LTP) to individualize intensity domains and quantify the cycling external load. Normalized Power (NP) was computed as the fourth root of the mean fourth power of 30-s rolling-averaged power. The NP to mean power ratio was used to define Variability Index (VI). Linear mixed-effects models (random intercept: athlete) tested sex and race format effects on power output and effort distribution, with Holm-corrected pairwise contrasts and Hedges’ g effect sizes.
RESULTS:
Across 152 races, triathletes produced a mean relative power of 4.02 ± 0.42W/Kg, evolving at a relative pace of 95.9 ± 15.2% of LTP and spending 43.1 ± 11.9% of the race duration above it. Sex had a large effect on relative power output (men: 4.21 ± 0.34 vs women: 3.68 ± 0.34W/kg; p < 0.001, g = 1.65) and relative NP (4.57 ± 0.32 vs 3.96 ± 0.33 W/kg; p < 0.001, g = 1.78) but not on effort distribution (p = 0.205). While no significant effect of race format was found on relative mean power (p = 0.078), a trend was observed for VI (p = 0.054). Moderate to large effects were observed with higher VI values in SD (1.11 ± 0.04) compared to S (1.08 ± 0.04; p = 0.058; g = 0.73) and SS (1.08 ± 0.03; p = 0.058; g = 0.80).
CONCLUSION:
Elite draft-legal triathlon cycling shows a polarized power zone distribution with ~40% below LT, ~43% above LTP, and relatively little between thresholds (~17%). Men and women show similar descriptive effort profiles, despite a clear gap in relative power output. Sex was a robust predictor of cycling external load, with men producing higher relative power and normalized power than women, consistently across all race formats. Our findings suggest that the SD format displays greater power VI values compared to shorter formats, reflecting repeated high-intensity surges interspersed within a lower average power output.