@article{8679739,
  abstract     = {{Purpose. Classical track-and-field studies demonstrated that elite endurance athletes exhibit a
slow muscle typology, while elite sprint athletes have a predominant fast muscle typology. In
elite cycling, conclusive data on muscle typology are scarce, which may be due to the invasive
nature of muscle biopsies. The non-invasive estimation of muscle typology through the
measurement of muscle carnosine enabled to explore the muscle typology of 80 world-class
cyclists of different disciplines. 

Methods. The muscle carnosine content of 80 cyclists (4 bicycle
motor cross racing (BMX), 33 track, 8 cyclo-cross, 24 road and 11 mountain bike) was measured
in the soleus and gastrocnemius by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy and expressed as a
z-score relative to a reference population. Track cyclists were divided into track sprint and
endurance cyclists based on their UCI-ranking. Moreover, road cyclists were further
characterized based on the percentage of UCI points earned during either single- and multi-stage
races. 

Results. BMX cyclists (carnosine aggregate z-score of 1.33) are characterized by a faster
muscle typology than track, cyclo-cross, road and mountain bike cyclists (carnosine aggregate zscore
of –0.08, -0.76, -0.96 and –1.02, respectively: P<0.05). Track cyclists also possess a faster
muscle typology compared to mountain bikers (P=0.033) and road cyclists (P=0.005). Moreover,
track sprinters show a significant faster muscle typology (carnosine aggregate z-score of 0.87)
compared to track endurance cyclists (carnosine aggregate z-score of -0.44) (P<0.001). In road
cyclists, the higher the carnosine aggregate z-score, the higher the percentage of UCI points
gained during single-stage races (r=0.517, P=0.010). 

Conclusions. Prominent differences in the non-invasively determined muscle typology exist between elite cyclists of various disciplines, which opens opportunities for application in talent orientation and transfer.}},
  author       = {{Lievens, Eline and Bellinger, Phillip and Van Vossel, Kim and Vancompernolle, Jan and Bex, Tine and Minahan, Clare and Derave, Wim}},
  issn         = {{0195-9131}},
  journal      = {{MEDICINE AND SCIENCE IN SPORTS AND EXERCISE}},
  keywords     = {{Physical Therapy,Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation,Orthopedics and Sports Medicine,Cycling,muscle fiber type composition,elite,carnosine,spectroscopy,SKELETAL-MUSCLE,FIBER COMPOSITION,ENDURANCE,SPRINT,ROAD,PERFORMANCE,CARNOSINE,VELOCITY,POWER,DETERMINANTS}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{816--824}},
  title        = {{Muscle typology of world-class cyclists across various disciplines and events}},
  url          = {{http://doi.org/10.1249/mss.0000000000002518}},
  volume       = {{53}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}

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