Abstract

BUCHHOLTZ, K  and  BURGESS, T L. An evaluation of bicycle-specific agility and reaction times in mountain bikers and road cyclists. SA J. Sports Med. [online]. 2020, vol.32, n.1, pp.1-5. ISSN 2078-516X.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2078-516x/2020/v32i1a8576.

BACKGROUND: Cycling is a popular recreational and competitive sport with many health benefits but also significant risks, with 85% of recreational cyclists reporting an injury each season. The most common mechanism of injury is through a loss of control of the bicycle, and collisions with other objects. Reaction time and agility in cyclists may contribute to the ability to control a bicycleOBJECTIVES: To evaluate bicycle-specific agility and reaction time in cyclistsMETHODS: The study was a cross-sectional observational study. Thirty-five cyclists (27 males, eight females) participated in this study. Participants attended a single testing session where they completed a bicycle-specific agility test, and online simple and choice reaction time testing while cycling at three different exercise intensitiesRESULTS: There was a significant difference in agility between males and females (p=0.01). There was also a significant difference in choice reaction time between cycling at 'light' and 'very hard' intensities (p=0.004), and a significant positive relationship between agility and simple reaction time at a 'hard' intensityDISCUSSION: Choice reaction time improved at 'very hard' cycling intensity, supporting the theory that increased exercise intensity improves cognitive arousal. This reaction time may be essential as a means to avoid collisions and falls from bicycles. Bicycle-specific agility appears to be related to simple reaction time, but there are no existing validated bicycle-specific agility tests available. The value of the tests undertaken by the authors needs to be assessed furtherCONCLUSION: Choice reaction time was significantly decreased in high intensity cycling compared to cycling at low intensities. Further prospective studies are needed to establish links between reaction times and bicycle-specific agility

Keywords : exercise intensity; performance; bicycling.

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