Paul Franciscus Johannes Merkes

• PhD (Sport Science) | Master of Science (Sport Sciences) | Bachelor of Education (Physical Education)
• Owner & founder at Merkes Coaching

A road cycling sprint can be described as the acceleration which occurs toward the end of competitions in order to reach the finish line in front of other competitors. The ability to sprint in road cycling is important since most races are decided in either a head-to-head, small group, or mass sprint finish. Cycling velocity during sprints is impor...

The majority of road cycling races finish with a sprint and as such sprints are a key determinant of success. Surprisingly, the scientific literature on this specific topic is scarce, with limited to few studies describing the characteristics of road cycling sprinters and the demands of road sprinting. Cyclists’ sprinting velocity, which is mostly...

Abstract Purpose Compare power output, cadence, and torque in the seated, standing, and forward standing cycling sprint positions. Methods On three separated occasions (i.e. one for each position) 11 recreational male road cyclists performed a 14 s sprint before and directly after a high‐intensity lead‐up. Power output, cadence, and torque were me...

Background: Peak velocity is likely to be an important factor in the outcome of road cycling sprints. Cycling velocity is dependent on the balance of power output and resistive forces including, aerodynamic drag (CdA), gravity, rolling resistance and mechanical inefficiencies (Martin et al. 2006). With air resistance known to present the greatest r...

Purpose: Determine the validity of the Velocomp PowerPod power meter in comparison with the Verve Cycling InfoCrank power meter. Methods: This research involved two separate studies. In Study 1 twelve recreational male road cyclists completed seven maximal cycling efforts of a known duration (2 times 5 s, and 15, 30, 60, 240, and 600 s). In Study...

Purpose: To assess the influence of a seated, standing, and forward standing cycling sprint position on aerodynamic drag CdA and the reproducibility of a field test of CdA calculated in these different positions. Methods: Eleven recreational male road cyclists rode 250 m in two directions at around 25, 32, and 40 km·h-1 and in each of the three po...