What question did this study set out to answer?

To characterize the ongoing trajectory of spirometric parameters in professional cyclists during 24 months of Ventilatory Strategy Training.

April 21, 2026Open Access

Two-Year Longitudinal Trajectory of Inspiratory and Expiratory Spirometric Parameters in a Professional Cyclist Cohort Under Ventilatory Strategy Training (VST): Descriptive Extension of a Published 48-Week Cohort

Key Points

To characterize the ongoing trajectory of spirometric parameters in professional cyclists during 24 months of Ventilatory Strategy Training.
Aggregated monthly spirometric measurements were collected over 24 months from a cohort of ten professional cyclists.
Six spirometric parameters were assessed, focusing on both inspiratory and expiratory measures.
Data points were analyzed descriptively, comparing changes from baseline to 48 weeks and 24 months.
All five spirometric parameters demonstrated continuous improvement over 24 months, surpassing gains noted at 48 weeks.
Inspiratory parameters increased by 22.0% to 31.6% and expiratory parameters by 12.2% to 12.4% over the full period.
The FEV1/FEV6 ratio remained stable, indicating sustained optimal ventilatory function.

Abstract

Background. Inspiratory and expiratory spirometric adaptations under the Ventilatory Strategy Training (VST) protocol were previously documented across 48 weeks in a cohort of ten professional cyclists (Ricci expiratory: +12.2% to +12.4%). Year-2 increments were positive on all five parameters (+1.5% to +3.8%). The FEV₁/FEV₆ ratio remained stable within the ≥0.83 optimal band across the full 24-month window. Conclusion. Static inspiratory and expiratory spirometric signatures continue to progress across the second year of VST exposure. This descriptive extension characterizes the trajectory of the mobilizable ventilatory substrate; the dynamic transposition of these adaptations into operational cycling performance is addressed in separate reports of the corpus.

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Authors

Cyril Ricci

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Health Services and Performance Research Laboratory

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Two-Year Longitudinal Trajectory of Inspiratory and Expiratory Spirometric Parameters in a Professional Cyclist Cohort Under Ventilatory Strategy Training (VST): Descriptive Extension of a Published 48-Week Cohort

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Abstract

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