The validity and reliability of the Computrainer Lab™ (CT) was assessed, for the first time, using a high-precision motor-driven calibration rig during simulated variable intensity 40 and 100 km time-trials (TTs). The load patterns imposed by the CT were designed from previously published studies in trained cyclists and included multiple 1 or 4 km bursts in power output. For the 40 and 100 km TTs, cluster-based analyses revealed a mean measurement error from the true workload of respectively 0.7 and 0.9%. However, measurement errors were dependent upon the workload variations, fluctuating from 0.2 to 5.1%. Average biases between repeated trials were contained within ± 1.1% for both TTs. In conclusion, using 40 and 100 km TTs containing 1 or 4 km bursts in power output, the present results indicate that (1) the CT can reliably be used by scientists to determine differences between research interventions; (2) the CT provides valid results of power output when data are being analyzed as a whole to derive one mean value of power output and; (3) variations in workload make it difficult to determine at any one time the veracity of the true power output produced by the athlete.
Keywords: assessment; cycling; cycling ergometer; performance; validity.
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