Looking for subjects for cycling project

[Turtle9er]

Hi, My name is Matt Jensen and I am currently pursuing a doctoral degree at UVic. I am currently looking for subjects to participate in my study (age 17-45 male). For this study I am looking for competitive cyclists that are either Cat 2 or greater, or have a VO2 max greater than 50ml/kg/min. For being a participant in this study you will actually have a full VO2 max test, along with lactate levels done, for free. Along with receiving a free test, you will also receive a more in depth analysis of your pedal stroke. I have attached an image of an example of the pedal stroke analysis, however I can't attached a PDF of the Informed consent, so please email me if you would like to see a copy of it. Below is a bit more info about the study, however if you have more questions, please don't hesitate to ask, either on this forum or by email. Thanks for taking the time to read this and if you have any friends that you think meet the criteria, please pass on my info so they can contact me.

In general my experiment will include 5 separate testing sessions. The first session (60-90min total time) will be used to test your fitness and will provide you with your peak power output and maximal oxygen uptake (usually a $200 test). This will then be followed up by a familiarization session at least 3 days later which is implemented so you get used to the testing protocol, the equipment and the environment (total time 2-3 hours). You will then perform 3 experimental sessions, each lasting 3.5-4hrs. The total time commitment will be up to 15 hrs. All testing will be done on a stationary bike, so I recommend you bring your own pedals.

Presently I am starting to book for the first session maximal tests. This maximal test can be performed at any time during the day, however to get best results you should plan to do it during a normal training time. Due to the holidays, I will not start testing until January 6th , 2014.

For the familiarization session (2-3 hrs) and the following 3 experimental sessions (3.5-4hrs per session), you will have the choice of either starting at either 8am or 1pm. However for all 4 sessions you will need to do them during the same time slot, so when signing up for this test, make sure you have a morning or afternoon that will always be available. Another thing is that the familiarization and experimental trials need to be at least 5-7 days apart, due to the strenuous activity, I need you to be fully recovered before the next session, so keep this in mind when signing up. During this experiment you can continue training as you normally would, and by working this experiment into your training program, you can plan around it. I only require you to not do any maximal efforts the day prior to testing and try to do similar training 2 days prior to the experiment. An example of this is, if you do weights 2 days before, then try to do weight again before the next session. This only causes issues if you create muscle soreness that was not present during previous testing and that may hamper your performance. Ideally, we are able to have you on the same time/day every week.

Part of this study is to test the effect of a nutritional supplement during a cycling time trial, this means that 24hrs prior to each experimental session, you will need to keep a food log, allowing for you to eat the exact same foods the day prior to the subsequent testing sessions. We are also providing each subject with a standard snack that needs to be consumed 2hrs prior to the experimental session. So if you sign up for a morning session, this would be your breakfast, and if you sign up for the afternoon session, you will have your normal breakfast, and then a snack 2 hrs before your session begins. The proposed snack would include 2 bagels (with jam), a banana and a juice (if you have dietary restrictions, we can arrange for something else).

I know this sounds like a lot of work and a big time commitment, however we will do everything possible to make it easier for you, and after you do it once the subsequent session will be easier. All data from this study will be shared with you for your own analysis, however it will not be shared with anyone else, unless you give consent.

I thank you for taking the time to show interest in my study and look forward to hearing from you. If you have any concerns or questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Matt Jensen
PhD Candidate

Movement and Mobility Rehabilitation Laboratory
Department of Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education
Faculty of Education
University of Victoria

Email: mpjensen at uvic.ca or mattpjensen at gmail.com
Mobile: 250-661-1816
Lab: 250-721-8375

[Turtle9er]

I forgot to add in the first post that this testing will be super fun and really cool, I promise....So don't hesitate to email me for more information. Also, the gist of my study is to test the effect of a carbohydrate mouthrinse later in an endurance event. Previous research has shown that by simply rinsing your mouth with some carbohydrate solution, you can improve performance during a 60 minute time trial. My study wants to see if by rinsing later in an event, can you see the same performance gains. This would be significant if you find you have stomach issue due to consuming too much during a longer race, meaning if you can just rinse your mouth during the last 45 minutes of a race and still perform at the same level, then that may limit any stomach distress that may occur near the finish of a race. However the most interesting part of the study is the fact I can measure in real time your power output during each 10deg segment of your pedal stroke, plus at the same time measuring your muscle activity levels during each of those 10deg segments.
I hope to be collecting data from now until March, so if at the present time you can't be a subject, then you can start in February or March if you need to.