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Background: This sport involves the integration of various capabilities and mechanisms, including cognitive, physiological, and biomechanical components, that allow the athlete to perform in competition. However, to date, no systematic review has analyzed the indicators that are decisive for sports performance in Bicycle Motocross (BMX). The objective of this work was to carry out a systematic review of the performance variables in BMX and establish recommendations for researchers and trainers. Materials and Methods: The following databases were consulted: PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. This systematic review uses the guidelines of the PRISMA statement and the guidelines for performing systematic reviews in sports sciences. The search approach, along with the selection criteria and additional details, were previously noted in the prospective registry (INPLASY202480036). The quality of the evidence was evaluated via the PEDro scale. Results: The 21 studies that make up the sample of this systematic review have a total sample of 287 athletes. However, in the studies analyzed, there are five main categories for the study of performance in BMX: (i) physiological profile and BMX and bicarbonate; (ii) BMX and physical characteristics (power, speed, and sprint); (iii) translation and rotational acceleration and systems and implements; (iv) psychological variables; and (v) skills and techniques. Conclusions: This systematic review provides convincing evidence regarding the influence of several factors that can determine performance in BMX, including Pmax, cadence, neuromuscular capacity, feedback and cognitive training, accelerometry and video analysis, anaerobic–aerobic relationships, physical conditioning, strength, and speed.

Background Ultra-endurance events are gaining popularity in multiple exercise disciplines, including cycling. With increasing numbers of ultra-cycling events, aspects influencing participation and performance are of interest to the cycling community. Main body The aim of this narrative review was, therefore, to assess the types of races offered, the characteristics of the cyclists, the fluid and energy balance during the race, the body mass changes after the race, and the parameters that may enhance performance based on existing literature. A literature search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar using the search terms ‘ultracycling’, ‘ultra cycling’, ‘ultra-cycling’, ‘ultra-endurance biking’, ‘ultra-bikers’ and ‘prolonged cycling’. The search yielded 948 results, of which 111 were relevant for this review. The studies were classified according to their research focus and the results were summarized. The results demonstrated changes in physiological parameters, immunological and oxidative processes, as well as in fluid and energy balance. While the individual race with the most published studies was the Race Across America, most races were conducted in Europe, and a trend for an increase in European participants in international races was observed. Performance seems to be affected by characteristics such as age and sex but not by anthropometric parameters such as skin fold thickness. The optimum age for the top performance was around 40 years. Most participants in ultra-cycling events were male, but the number of female athletes has been increasing over the past years. Female athletes are understudied due to their later entry and less prominent participation in ultra-cycling races. A post-race energy deficit after ultra-cycling events was observed. Conclusion Future studies need to investigate the causes for the observed optimum race age around 40 years of age as well as the optimum nutritional supply to close the observed energy gap under consideration of the individual race lengths and conditions. Another research gap to be filled by future studies is the development of strategies to tackle inflammatory processes during the race that may persist in the post-race period. Key Points • The optimal ultra-cycling race age is around 40 years. • Performance-related factors were the most investigated topic of ultra-cycling studies. • There is a lack of information about strategies to tackle inflammatory processes during ultra-cycling events.

Kittie Weston-Knauer, also known as Miss Kittie, has raced against men and keeps cycling despite knee and hip replacements. She explains how BMX is keeping her young in mind and body.

The 1990-2010 period in professional cycling is labeled by some as the epo epidemic. Surprisingly, performance enhancement by epo and blood doping is not that clear-cut for endurance athletes, leading to the question whether doping indeed strongly influenced cyclists' performances from the 1990s onwards. We examined the records (1947-2008) of the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, and Vuelta a España (N = 181) and assessed the time it took riders to win the race. The findings revealed normally distributed performances and linear and quartic relationships in victors' performances over time that correspond with Brewer's (2002) sociohistorical analysis of professional cycling, suggesting that effects of the epo epidemic on professional cyclists' achievements may be overestimated.

In endurance sports, there is one element that all athletes who wish to excel must confront ... exertion pain. The purpose of this study was to describe and explain the nature and effects of the cognitive strategies former Olympic cyclists used to cope with exertion pain during performance. Nine participants were asked to describe exertion pain and how they managed it. Two hundred twenty-two quotes formed the basis for the analysis. The quotes were coalesced to six higher-order themes. The following conclusions were extracted from the themes: (1) the degree of pain was purely a perception, (2) pain varied depending upon the satisfaction the athlete received from the experience when all physiological variables were held constant, (3) cognitive skills such as goal setting, imagery, and positive self-talk were routinely used, (4) the mind and body were viewed as a dualism when performing, (5) pain was a positive experience and part of sport and an individual's identity, and (6) riding in a position of control tended to lessen the perception of pain. The results revealed that former Olympic cyclists used a myriad of cognitive strategies to cope with endurance pain while training and competing and that all of them attended to the pain rather than attempting to ignore it.

This study examines various motives for participating in the sport of cycling. Past research on the sport of cycling has mostly been limited to physiological studies of elite cyclists. However, past research on marathon runners and triathletes reveals a long list of possible motives for participation. A total of 1,239 male and female cyclists completed a modified version of the Motivations of Marathoners Scales (MOMS) that measured psychological motives, physical motives, social motives, and achievement motives. As a group, cyclists endorsed goal achievement and health concerns as reasons for cycling. Male cyclists were more likely to endorse competition than female cyclists and females were more likely to endorse weight concern, affiliation, and self-esteem as reasons for cycling. Competitive cyclists were more likely than non-competitive cyclists to endorse goal achievement, competition and recognition as reasons for cycling. Non-competitive cyclists were more likely to endorse weight concerns and affiliation as motives. Road cyclists were more likely to endorse goal achievement and competition while mountain bikers endorsed life meaning as a motivation for cycling. Potential applications to research, coaching, and training in the sport of cycling are discussed.

The family that owns the company that makes OxyContin is calling a Massachusetts' lawsuit false and misleading. This is the Sackler family's first court response to allegations that individual family members helped fuel the deadly opioid epidemic. Attorneys for the Sackler family say the claims must be dismissed. Massachusetts was among the first state government to sue the family as well as the company last year.