Reliability of a 2-Bout Exercise Test on a Wattbike Cycle Ergometer

Purpose: To determine the intraday and interday reliability of a 2 x 4-min performance test on a cycle ergometer (Wattbike) separated by 30 min of passive recovery (2 x 4MMP). Methods: Twelve highly trained cyclists (mean +/- SD; age = 20 +/- 2 y, predicted VO2max = 59.0 +/- 3.6 mL.kg(-1).min(-1)) completed six 2 x 4MMP cycling tests on a Wattbike ergometer separated by 7 d. Mean power was measured to determine intraday (test 1 [T1] to test 2 [T2]) and interday reliability (weeks 1-6) over the repeated trials. Results: The mean intraday reliabilities of the 2 x 4MMP test, as expressed by the typical error of measurement (TEM, W) and coefficient of variation (CV, %) over the 6 wk, were 10.0W (95% confidence limits [CL] 8.2-11.8), and 2.6% (95%CL 2.1-3.1), respectively. The mean interday reliability TEM and CV for T1 over the 6 wk were 10.4W (95%CL 8.7-13.3) and 2.7% (95%CL 2.3-3.5), respectively, and 11.7W (95%CL 9.8-15.1) and 3.0% (95%CL 2.5-3.9) for T2. Conclusion: The testing protocol performed on a Wattbike cycle ergometer in the current study is reproducible in highly trained cyclists. The high intraday and interday reliability make it a reliable method for monitoring cycling performance and for investigating factors that affect performance in cycling events.