A Race Between Two Races: Power Demands and Positioning During Cycling in Elite Sprint Distance Triathlon

Introduction
Because of drafting, cycling in short distance triathlon is characterized by variable power demands [1,2]. Performance analyses based on cycling split times may disregard that rid-ers in the same bike group experience different power demands. Factors such as position-ing within a bike group may therefore determine initial fatigue during the run segment of a triathlon [3].
Methods
In our preregistered study, we analyzed power and television-based position data from the 2020 sprint triathlon World Championship race in Hamburg. We compared data for 5 out of 8 riders of the front bike group by creating power profiles and power distributions. Using hierarchical Bayesian models, we analyzed the association between positioning and power demands during accelerations after turns.
Results
Athletes of the same bike group had different power profiles and used different positioning strategies. With each position further behind during a turn, athletes had a higher peak (+24.2 W [4.8; 36.7]; mean [95% credibility interval]) and 10 seconds mean power (+19.3 W [10.5; 27.1]) during the following acceleration. The positioning had a smaller effect on the 20 seconds mean power (+6.3 W [-1.4; 13.6]) and a negative effect on the 20 seconds mean power before the turn (-13.4 W [-20.8; -4.99]).
Discussion
Positioning during cycling can influence the power demands, which may affect subsequent running performance. Our results suggest that to minimize the power demands athletes should ride at the front of the group during turns and near the end of the group during the rest of the race, but this strategy will likely harm cooperative group work. Therefore, ath-letes and their coaches should identify realistic positioning strategies based on data and experience that fit the individual abilities best. Future studies should correlate power varia-bility with running performance in races while controlling for individual running performance levels.
References
[1] Bernard, T., Hausswirth, C., Meur, Y. L., Bignet, F., Dorel, S., & Brisswalter, J. (2009). Distribution of Power Output during the Cycling Stage of a Triathlon World Cup. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 41(6), 1296–1302. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e318195a233
[2] Etxebarria, N., D’Auria, S., Anson, J. M., Pyne, D. B., & Ferguson, R. A. (2014). Variability in Power Out-put During Cycling in International Olympic-Distance Triathlon. International Journal of Sports Physi-ology and Performance, 9(4), 732–734. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2013-0303
[3] Walsh, J. A. (2019). The Rise of Elite Short-Course Triathlon Re-Emphasises the Necessity to Transition Efficiently from Cycling to Running. Sports, 7(5), 99. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports7050099