Performance Characteristics in BMX Racing: A Scoping Review.

Abstract

Performance characteristics across a number of cycle sports have been investigated for decades. However, evidence suggests little is known about the performance characteristics in BMX cycling. As a result, a scoping review was undertaken to explore the quantity and themes of research in this area. After adopting the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRIMSA) guidelines 104 studies were identified in the initial search and post screening 17 studies were identified as relevant. These studies were categorised into two sub categories; physical and technical characteristics. The first category, physical performance characteristics included ten studies that analysed torque, cadence, and peak power in relation to velocity and time to peak power. The remaining 7 studies related to technical attributes and focused on the development of an effective gate start technique or analysed techniques deemed important during a BMX race. In addition to the categories, 9 of the 17 studies identified in this review reported reliability issues in collecting performance characteristic data, as well as issues surrounding transference of data from the laboratory to the BMX track. Future research should consider intervention studies examining how time to peak power could be developed and the effect this would have on the start of a BMX race. Future studies may also consider using equipment with higher levels of reliability and testing riders in the track environment. Moreover, this scoping review could serve as a starting point for a systematic review.