Inst of General Practice and Health Services Research, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2013 Nov;8(6):611-7. doi: 10.1123/ijspp.8.6.611. Epub 2013 Feb 20.
The sex difference in ultraendurance performance has been investigated in swimmers, runners, and triathletes but not in cyclists. The purpose of this study was to examine the sex difference in the longest ultra-cycling race in the world, the Race Across America (RAAM).
Cycling speed of female and male finishers in the RAAM between 1982 and 2012 was compared.
A total of 452 athletes including 404 men (89.4%) and 48 women (10.6%) finished. Mean cycling speed was 19.4 ± 2.0 km/h for men and 17.5 ± 2.0 km/h for women. Men were riding 1.9 ± 2.0 km/h (10.9%) faster than women. The fastest cycling speed ever was 24.77 km/h for men and 21.27 km/h for women, with a sex difference of 14.2%. Between 1982 and 2012, cycling speed was 22.7 ± 1.1 km/h for the annual fastest men and 18.4 ± 1.6 km/h for the annual fastest women, with an unchanged sex difference of 19.4% ± 7.3% (P > .05). For the annual top 3 men, cycling speed was 21.8 ± 0.9 km/h with no change across years (P > .05). The annual top 3 women achieved a cycling speed of 16.6 ± 1.0 km/h with no change over time (P > .05). The sex difference of 24.6% ± 3.0% showed no change across years (P > .05).
In the last 30 y, men crossed America faster than women, and it seems unlikely that women will overtop men in the near future in the RAAM. However, the sex difference was only 14-15% among top competitors. Future studies need to analyze anthropometric, psychological, and physiological characteristics of successful female and male ultracyclists.
在游泳运动员、跑步运动员和三项全能运动员中已经研究了超耐力表现的性别差异，但在自行车运动员中尚未进行研究。本研究的目的是检验世界上最长的超长自行车比赛——美国跨越赛（RAAM）中的性别差异。
比较了 1982 年至 2012 年参加 RAAM 的女性和男性完赛者的自行车速度。
共有 452 名运动员完成了比赛，其中 404 名男性（89.4%）和 48 名女性（10.6%）。男性的平均自行车速度为 19.4±2.0km/h，女性为 17.5±2.0km/h。男性比女性快 1.9±2.0km/h（10.9%）。有史以来最快的自行车速度是男性的 24.77km/h 和女性的 21.27km/h，性别差异为 14.2%。1982 年至 2012 年期间，年度最快男性的自行车速度为 22.7±1.1km/h，年度最快女性的自行车速度为 18.4±1.6km/h，性别差异为 19.4%±7.3%（P>.05）。对于年度前三名男性，自行车速度为 21.8±0.9km/h，多年来没有变化（P>.05）。年度前三名女性的自行车速度为 16.6±1.0km/h，多年来没有变化（P>.05）。24.6%±3.0%的性别差异多年来没有变化（P>.05）。
在过去的 30 年中，男性比女性更快地穿越美国，女性在不久的将来似乎不太可能在 RAAM 中超越男性。然而，顶尖竞争者之间的性别差异仅为 14-15%。未来的研究需要分析成功的女性和男性超长自行车运动员的人体测量学、心理学和生理学特征。
