AUSTIN, Texas, June 14 (UPI) -- Texas researchers studying cyclist Lance Armstrong have found his hard training routines over time have improved his muscular efficiency significantly.
Researchers at the University of Texas-Austin monitored Armstrong's physiology from 1992 to 1999 -- the year of his first of six consecutive Tour de France wins -- and found he improved his efficiency by 8 percent when cycling at maximum output.
They also found that combining that increased efficiency with an annual, and planned, 7-percent reduction in body weight and fat leading up to each Tour de France "contributed equally to a remarkable 18 percent improvement in his steady-state power per kilogram" output.
The researchers conducted lab tests on Armstrong and observed that, over time, his natural pedaling rate increased from about 85 revolutions per minute to about 105 to 110 rpm. The result: Armstrong was able to produce more power, but less body heat.
It is "nice to know," they added, "that as you get older that your body becomes wiser in how it does its job and less wasteful in energy usage."
