Posted by Frank Day (63.201.228.13) on January 22, 2004 at 06:20:41:
In Reply to: Follow me if you are not tired yet posted by Juerg on January 21, 2004 at 19:36:41:
I believe this lactate paradox simply comes about because of an imbalance in the aerobic abilities of the "old" muscles (anti-gravity) and the "new" (hip flexors).
In the very beginning this difference is very obvious but over the first few months it narrows considerably. Once the rider can go out for a "comfortable" 4 hour ride one knows it is getting closer. However, let me propose they are still not equal.
Why? Because cadence is still a problem.
It would seem to me there might be a reason to FACT test cadence. That is to test for the cadence threshold, that is the cadence at which lactate increases. Only when the cadence threshold is the same for the two sets of muscles or, at least, above cadences normally used in races would it then be useful to look at lactate thresholds as it varies with power.
Of course, such a policy would only be applicable to the PC rider as the non-PC rider doesn't use this second set of muscles so the test would be meaningless.