Characteristics of skeletal muscle in competitive cyclists.

Muscle samples from the vastus lateralis and maximal oxygen uptakes were obtained from 22 male and 7 female competitive cyclists. 19 untrained males, and 10 untrained females. Eleven of the 22 male cyclists were designated elite cyclists (Group A) on the basis of their success in national and/or international competition. The remaining 11 male cyclists (Group B) were also trained but had not achieved the same level of competitive success. Significant mean differences (P less than 0.05) between Groups A and B were found for VO2 max (67 and 57 ml/kg/min), malate dehydrogenase (MDH) and phosphorylase (PH), in biopsied muscle. No differences were evident between Groups A and B for % slow twitch (ST) and % fast twitch (FT) fibers, or in area FT or ST. Nor was there any difference in the mean activities of succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) between the groups. Significant correlations were found between VO2 max and SDH, VO2 max and MDH, and between SDH and MDH. These data also indicate that an extremely high percentage of FT or ST fibers may not be a requirement for success in competitive cycling as has been found in earlier studies on sprint or endurance running.