EVALUATION OF THE DYNAMICS OF SPECIAL PHYSICAL FITNESS OF YOUNG ROAD CYCLISTS USING THE CRP INDEX

Purpose of the study – to assess age- and sex-related and individual long-term dynamics of special physical fitness in 11-16-year-old road cyclists using the CRP index based on official result protocols from individual time trials.

Methods. The study included retrospective analysis of competition protocols, calculation of the CRP index, grouping of results by sex and age, assessment of age- and sex-specific mean values, increments in mean values between adjacent age groups, the 95th percentile, and group-level linear age trends, as well as analysis of individual dynamics based on repeated results. The initial dataset comprised 1,784 observations, of which 1,620 were within the target age range; after the exclusion of potentially abnormal values, the cleaned dataset included 1,586 observations. A total of 745 unique athletes were identified, of whom 222 had results recorded in at least two calendar years and 66 in at least three calendar years.

Results. A pronounced positive age-related pattern in CRP was identified in athletes aged 11-16 years. Mean CRP values increased from 451.6 to 620.0 points in female cyclists and from 409.2 to 620.9 points in male cyclists. The largest increase in both sexes was found between the 12- and 13-year-old age groups. In male cyclists, a marked increase was also observed between the 14- and 15-year-old age groups. In the main longitudinal subsample, positive individual CRP dynamics were identified in 70.8% of athletes.

Conclusion. The estimates of age- and sex-related and individual long-term dynamics of special physical fitness obtained using the CRP index may serve as an additional scientific and methodological basis for monitoring the training of 11-16-year-old road cyclists. They make it possible to assess the rate of change in special physical fitness, establish age- and sex-specific reference values, and support the preliminary identification of promising athletes based on competition data without the mandatory use of complex laboratory testing.

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