Influence de l’asymétrie de pédalage sur l’efficacité de pédalage et le rendement musculaire\ud

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of the pedalling asymmetry on the pedalling effectiveness and net muscular efficiency (ηNET). During a cycling bout at 160 Watts, performed by eleven subjects, the pedalling effectiveness during the upstroke phase (IEASC) was significantly higher for the kicking dominant leg. The corresponding asymmetry value was 24.2 %. However, when the most effective leg was considered, then a small but significant asymmetry value (1.2 %) was found for the pedalling effectiveness during the downstroke (IEDESC). Thus cycling asymmetry does not consistently influences the pedalling technique and depends how leg dominance is defined. Moreover, IEDESC was not systematically related to ηNET, but rather depended on the leg taken into account (kicking dominance or most effective). Thus, pedalling asymmetry during submaximal cycling only slightly influences the pedalling technique as well as the muscular efficiency.\ud \u