Muscle Stiffness and Rate of Torque Development during Sprint Cycling.

The article presents a study on the relationship between musculotendinous unit stiffness and isometric rate of torque development (RTD) in sprint cycling. The study evaluated the maximal isometric torque (MIT) and isometric RTD of the quadriceps of 21 trained cyclists. It also measured the unilateral musculoarticular (MA) stiffness of the quadriceps by means of an oscillation test. The results of the study reveal that higher stiffness is associated to superior rate of crank torque development (RCTD)peak in single sprint cyclist. It also says that a significant proportion of the RCTDpeak variance was attributed to MA stiffness.