Discussion
It has previously been reported that all-out start strategy is superior to “forced” even- or fast-start strategies (Overall performance was similar between the self-paced and the two all-out start strategies (We further explored whether an all-out start strategy followed by a power slightly above the mean power of the baseline trial for the remaining first quarter of the trial would improve overall performance. Although the power during the first 200 m was higher in the all-out+5%mean than in the self-paced strategy, this may have partially been compensated by a lower power at 400 m in the all-out+5%mean than in the self-paced strategy, and no differences from 600 to 1000 m (Our findings of similar overall performance regardless of the adopted pacing strategy are in accordance with the pioneer teleoanticipation model, which stipulates that the central nervous system regulates the athlete's rhythm through complex calculations based on metabolic reserve, the rate of use of these reserves, and the time remaining to complete the task to optimize performance without causing drastic disturbances to homeostasis (In the present study, the V̇OThe heart rate increased linearly as the distance progressed and this increase was similar in all three pacing strategies (While our findings provide important insights suggesting that an all-out start strategy is not superior to a self-paced strategy, further studies adopting an all-out start strategy followed immediately by a self-paced strategy would provide more information about the benefits of an all-out start strategy. It is important to highlight that the time trials were performed without opponents. Cycling competitions consist of individual time trials, in which the cyclist competes alone, or individual and team pursuit, in which the cyclist competes simultaneously with other riders. Because the presence of other riders will influence exercise performance during time trials (Some limitations of the present study must be mentioned. We did not include an experimental condition with an even-paced strategy; thus, no comparison can be made between self- and even-paced strategies. We assumed, however, that a self-paced strategy with a fast start is expected to be superior to an even-paced strategy, as it has clearly been shown in multiple studies that an all-out start or a fast-start are superior to even pace (In conclusion, an all-out start strategy, followed by maintenance at mean power or even a 5%-higher mean power for the remaining first quarter of the trial did not confer additional benefits to overall performance of trained/recreationally trained cyclists compared to a self-paced strategy with a natural fast start. Findings of the present study have practical implications, suggesting that forced pacing conferred no additional benefits to performance; thus, cyclists should be free to choose their own pacing strategy during a 4-km cycling time trial. Nevertheless, as the response to a given pace strategy obviously had an individual component (see 