REF-856 · Pozzi et al., 2014 · BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, Vol. 6, article · Paper · PubMed

Sex and age-related differences in performance in a 24-hour ultra-cycling draft-legal event - a cross-sectional data analysis

Blimited evidenceMeasured on recreational to elite athletesWritten before October 2026, being re-checked

Race results of a 24-hour draft-legal cycling event in Schötz, Switzerland, from 2000 to 2011 were analysed for age and sex trends. Across all finishers the fastest age group was 35-39 years and distance fell in a curvilinear way with advancing age.

The age of peak performance fell over the years in women but not in men; men's mean distance rose over the years while women's did not. The winners' sex difference stayed at about 20%, and the authors suggest women were not able to profit from drafting.

Participants

All finishers of the 24-hour draft-legal cycling event in Schötz, Switzerland, 2000-2011. The number of finishers and the split by sex are not given in the abstract.

Protocol

Retrospective analysis of race results across the years 2000-2011.
Multi-level regression analyses with age, repeated participation and environmental temperature as co-variables.
Outcomes: cycling distance achieved in 24 h; age of peak cycling performance; sex difference in performance, for all finishers and for the annual fastest.

Key Results

Age of peak cycling performance

GroupResult
All female finishersDecreased from 38 ± 10 to 35 ± 6 years (β = -0.273, p = 0.036)
All male finishersUnchanged at 41.0 ± 10.3 years (β = -0.035, p = 0.906)
Annual fastest females / malesUnchanged at 37.3 ± 8.5 / 38.3 ± 5.4 years

Distance in 24 h

All male finishers improved from 497.8 ± 219.6 km to 546.7 ± 205.0 km across the years (β = 7.010, p = 0.006); all female finishers were unchanged at 593.7 ± 132.3 km (β = -0.085, p = 0.987).
Winners: male winners covered 960.5 ± 51.9 km vs 769.7 ± 65.7 km for female winners (p < 0.001). The same sentence of the abstract then says the distance "was not different between the sexes (p > 0.05)"; as printed the two statements conflict, and the abstract does not say what the second comparison refers to.
Sex difference for the annual winners: 19.7 ± 7.8%, unchanged across years (p > 0.05).

Age effect

Cycling distance decreased in a curvilinear manner with advancing age; significant age effect (F = 28.4, p < 0.0001); the fastest cyclists were in age group 35-39 years.

Practical Application

Across the 2000-2011 editions of a 24-hour draft-legal race in Switzerland, the fastest age group was 35-39 years, distance fell off in a curvilinear way with advancing age, the annual fastest women and men were 37.3 and 38.3 years old, and the winners' sex gap held at 19.7 ± 7.8%. To "am I past my best for 24-hour racing?": the peak in this race sat in the late thirties, and the decline after it was curved rather than a straight line; the abstract does not give the rate.
The age-group numbers describe the field, not an individual: an older rider who keeps training is not bound to the group curve (inference, not tested here; the base's masters evidence is in SYNTH-35 and REF-598).
Do not read the higher mean distance of all female finishers (593.7 km) than all male finishers (546.7 km at the end of the period) as women riding further: the fields differ in size and selection, and the winners show the opposite. Inference, not tested here.
The authors' drafting interpretation (women did not profit from drafting) is their reading of the unchanged sex gap, not something the study measured.
Not from this paper; the base's own practice: pacing and fuelling a 24-hour ride are in SYNTH-63.

Limitations

One event, results only: no physiology, training, drafting or pacing data.
The number of finishers is not given in the abstract; the female field is likely small (inference).
The abstract's two statements on the winners' sex difference in distance conflict as printed.
Cross-sectional across years: age trends mix ageing with who chooses to race.
Written from the abstract and record metadata only (full text not read).
How this entry was checked and changed
Why this level

results-database analysis of one event; the number of finishers is not given in the abstract