Enhanced durability predicts success in amateur road cycling: evidence of power output declines.

Purpose: Durability refers to an athlete's capacity to sustain optimal performance levels during prolonged physical exertion. Durability has been recognized as important and remains a key factor in endurance performance, particularly among amateur athletes who make up the largest segment of the endurance sports community. In the modern era, where remote coaching has become increasingly prevalent, there is a need for new methods to measure durability effectively without the constraints of laboratory. The aim of this study was to quantify durability in well-trained age-group cycling athletes using home-based test measures, identify durability as an important predictor of endurance performance, and provide practical recommendations for improving durability through training. Methods: Fourteen endurance-trained cyclists (mean 37.5 ± 5.7 years; VO Results: Successful amateur cyclists have a significantly lower drop of power of in a 20 min interval in fatigued condition compared to less successful counterparts. The average drop in power is only half as high for successful athletes (6.5%) as it is for the less successful athletes (12.5%). For the 5 min interval and the heart rate response between fresh and fatigue state, no differences could be found. Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrate that successful amateur cyclists exhibit better durability than less successful athletes after a defined amount of work, enabling them to sustain higher performance levels during prolonged efforts.