2.6. Repeated Cycling Sprints
Prior to beginning supplementation, and after 7 days of supplementation, all study participants completed a sprint cycling protocol consisting of 15 separate 10 s sprints on a Lode Excalibur Sport cycle ergometer (Lode Excalibur Sport, The Netherlands). A 20 s active rest period was provided after each 10 s effort. Consequently, the entire sprint bout lasted 450 s (7.5 min). The participants remained strapped into the bike pedals during the entire sprint protocol and were instructed to pedal at a low, self-selected-frequency pedaling speed each 20 s rest period. Prior to the onset of each 10 s sprint, a 5 s countdown was provided wherein participants were instructed to achieve their highest cycling cadence when resistance was applied. Participants were instructed to maintain their cadence as high as possible during each sprint, and strong verbal encouragement was provided throughout each sprint. Participants were not informed of the elapsed time of the sprint to prevent pacing and to ensure maximal effort. From each repeated cycling sprint protocol, peak power, mean power, and total work were calculated across the entire bout (all 15 sprints), in addition to the averages of these variables being calculated for sprints 1–5, 6–10, and 11–15.