Training for Elite Team-Pursuit Track Cyclists—Part I: A Profile of General Training Characteristics (five male track endurance cyclists, 36 weeks before the 2018 Commonwealth Games world record)
Participants
n=5 male elite track endurance cyclists, age 21.9 (SD 3.52) y
VO2max: 68.7 (2.99) mL/kg/min
Power: 6.2 (0.28) W/kg maximal; 4.4 (0.16) W/kg at anaerobic threshold
Context: 36-week period before a world-record 4-km team pursuit (3:49.804) at the 2018 Commonwealth Games
Protocol (36-week macrocycle, from the abstract)
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Total training volume | 543 (37) h |
| Number of sessions | 436 (16) |
| On-bike share | 69.9% of all training sessions |
| Gym/strength share | 12.7% of sessions |
| Cycling distance | 11,246 (1139) km |
| Intensity reference | HR, power and torque distributions referenced to the 4-km team-pursuit requirements |
Intensity Distribution (from the abstract):
Pyramidal: over 65% (heart rate) and 70% (power) of training in the low-intensity zone
Above anaerobic threshold: 5.3% (heart rate) and 7.7% (power) of training
At or above the world-record team-pursuit lead-position torque (55 N·m): 4.4% of total training volume
No shift toward a polarized distribution during taper and competition peaking — unlike previous research
Key Results
1
High volume, pyramidal shape: 543 h in 36 weeks with >65-70% low-intensity and only 5.3-7.7% above threshold preceded a world record.
2
On-bike dominance: 69.9% of sessions on the bike; 12.7% gym/strength.
3
Torque, not just power, was tracked: 4.4% of volume at or above race lead-position torque (55 N·m) — a specific strength stimulus for the event.
4
Pyramidal stayed pyramidal: the distribution did not turn polarized in the taper/peaking phase.
Practical Application
Five elite team-pursuit cyclists (VO2max 68.7 mL/kg/min, 6.2 W/kg) trained 543 h across 436 sessions in the 36 weeks before a world record, 69.9% of sessions on the bike and 12.7% in the gym, with a pyramidal distribution — over 65-70% low-intensity, only 5.3-7.7% above anaerobic threshold — that did not shift to polarized during the taper (elite case series, Stadnyk 2024).
The transferable shape is pyramidal, not polarized: the great majority of hours easy, a modest slice at threshold, a small slice above it — even for an event lasting under four minutes.
Track the event-specific quality, not only the zones: here it was torque (4.4% of volume at or above 55 N·m). Inference, not tested: for a road or gravel target the analogous "specific slice" is the climb gradient, surge pattern or duration the event actually demands.
Do not copy the volume: ~15 h/week (543 h / 36 wk) is a full-time squad's load. The proportions (mostly easy, ~13% gym sessions, small supra-threshold share) are what an amateur plan can borrow.
Not from this paper; the base's own practice: strength sessions are kept in the plan year-round at roughly 1-2 per week; this study reports the proportion of gym sessions, not their content or effect.
Limitations
From the design as the abstract reports it: a descriptive analysis of the training data of 5 male track endurance cyclists from one squad — no control group and no intervention.
One 36-week period before a single event (the 4-km team pursuit world record); the link between the training and the result is descriptive, not tested.
How this entry was checked and changed
Why this level
regraded 2026-09-27 from B+: elite case series, n=5, descriptive
Content correction 2026-09-27
"Polarized TID pattern" -> abstract: pyramidal, with over 65% (HR) / 70% (power) low-intensity, 5.3% / 7.7% above anaerobic threshold, and explicitly NO shift to polarized in the taper. Invented zone bands (Z1 50-60%, Z2 25-30%, Z3-5 10-15%) deleted.
"World-record result 40.3 s for 3 km" -> 4-km team pursuit in 3:49.804. "17.4% flexibility/recovery (95 h)", "379 h on-bike", "69 h gym", "25.8 km/session", "410 W+ for ~66 kg", "no overtraining markers" deleted (not in abstract; 69.9% and 12.7% are shares of sessions, not hours).
VO2max SD 1.5 -> 2.99; added 4.4 W/kg at anaerobic threshold, age, and the 55 N·m torque finding (4.4% of volume).
14-week road-programme translation (280 h, zone hours, 36 h strength) removed; Level B+ -> B (elite case series, n=5); Tier line fixed (was "review"); Sport "cycling, running" -> cycling.
Cross-references to duplicate stubs repointed to their canonical entries (REF-162->REF-306); the stubs were emptied on 2026-09-27.
Cross-reference labels pointed at the wrong entry or named the wrong author (checked against each cited entry's byline); repointed to the entry the label describes, or removed where the base holds no such paper.
2026-09-28: added Limitations from the abstract (Europe PMC PMID 39142645).