Ventilatory threshold and maximal oxygen uptake in present triathletes

The aim of this study was to determine the physiological profile of young triathletes who began triathlon competition as their first sport, Twenty-nine male competitive triathletes (23 regionally and nationally ranked triathletes and 6 elite, internationally ranked triathletes) performed two tests, one on a cycle ergometer (CE (V)over dotO(2max)) and one on a treadmill (TM (V)over dot(2max)). Results showed (a) no difference between CE (V)over dot(2max) and TM (V)over dotO(2max) in the triathletes (69.1 +/- 7.2 vs. 70.2 +/- 6.2 mL . kg(-1) . min(-1), respectively), (b) values of CE (V)over dot(2max) and TM (V)over dotO(2max), in elite triathletes (75.9 +/- 5.2 and 78.5 +/- 3.6 mL . kg(-1) min(-1), respectively) that were comparable to those reported in elite single-sport athletes in these specialities, and (c) although the ventilatory threshold (Th-vent) was similar in CE and TM, Th-vent was consistently lower for triathletes than TM Th-vent usually reported for runners.