What the study found
Starting ten percent above or below the reference power changed later power output but did not significantly change total time-trial performance.
Participants and protocol
Eleven trained male cyclists completed four twenty-kilometre time trials in hot conditions, with the opening 2.5 kilometres controlled in three trials.
What this cannot establish
This small laboratory result does not prove that an aggressive start is harmless in longer events. It also does not validate a fixed opening-power adjustment for every athlete or temperature.
Publication details
- Record
- PubMed 19199209
- Publication types
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
- Indexed subjects
- Pain · Body Temperature · Humidity · Skin Temperature · Physical Endurance
- Source record checked
- 2026-10-18
Publication type and subject indexing describe the record; they are not a quality grade or proof of a benefit. An abstract does not replace a review of the full methods and results.
Adaptive AI coach for iPhone
Meet your adaptive AI coach.
Tell your coach what you are training for. It builds the plan, follows the work you complete, and adapts upcoming training when recovery, your schedule, or real life changes.
Keep going
Performance Science Lab
Research summaries for endurance athletes, with study context, practical protocols, and clear limitations.
Open guidePacing performance research
Pacing is applied physiology: the best plan fails if you spend your budget early.
Open guideTime-trial performance research for endurance athletes
Practical performance outcome used in many studies: closer to racing than lab-only metrics.
Open guide