In this experiment we studied the effect of different pedalling rates during cycling at a constant power output (PO) 132±31 W (mean±S.D.), corresponding to 50 % V02 max, on the oxygen uptake and the magnitude of the slow component of V02 kinetics in humans. The PO corresponded to 50 % of V02 max, established during incremental cycling at a pedalling rate of 70 rev.min-1. Six healthy men aged 22.2 ±2.0 years with V02 max 3.89 ±0.92 l.min-1, performed on separate days constant PO cycling exercise lasting 6 min at pedalling rates 40, 60, 80, 100 and 120 rev.min-1, in random order. Antecubital blood samples for plasma lactate [La]pi and blood acid-base balance variables were taken at 1 min intervals. Oxygen uptake was determined breath-by-breath. The total net oxygen consumed throughout the 6 min cycling period at pedalling rates of 40, 60, 80, 100 and 120 rev.min-1 amounted to 7.727± 1.197, 7.705± 1.548, 8.679± 1.262, 9.945± 1.435 and 13.720± 1.862 1, respectively for each pedalling rate. The VO2 during the 6 min of cycling only rose slowly by increasing the pedalling rate in the range of 40-100 rev.min-1. This increase, was 0.142 1 per 20 rev.min-1 on the average. Plasma lactate concentration during the sixth minute of cycling changed little within this range of pedalling rates: the values were 1.83 ±0.70, 1.80 ± 0.48, 2.33 ±0.88 and 2.52 ±0.33 mmoLl-1. The values of [La]pi reached in the 6th minute of cycling were not significantly different from the pre-exercise levels. Blood pH was also not affected by the increase of pedalling rate in the range of 40-100 rev.min-1. However, an increase of pedalling rate from 100 to 120 rev.min-1 caused a sudden increase in the VO2 amounting to 0.747 1 per 20 rev.min-1, accompanied by a significant increase in [La]pj from 1.21 ±0.26 mmol.l-1 in pre-exercise conditions to 5.92±2.46 mmol.l-1 reached in the 6th minute of cycling (P<0.01). This was also accompanied by a significant drop of blood pH, from 7.355 ±0.039 in the pre-exercise period to 7.296 ± 0.060 in the 6th minute of cycling (P<0.01). The mechanical efficiency calculated on the basis of the net VO2 reached between the 4th and the 6th minute of cycling amounted to 26.6 ±2.7, 26.4±2.0, 23.4±3.4, 20.3 ±2.6 and 14.7±2.2 %, respectively for pedalling rates of 40, 60, 80,100 and 120 rev.min-1. No significant increase in the VO2 from the 3rd to the 6th min (representing the magnitude of the slow component of V02 kinetics) was observed at any of the pedalling rates (-0.022±0.056, -0.009±0.029, 0.012±0.073, 0.030±0.081 and 0.122±0.176 l.min-1 for pedalling rates of 40, 60, 80, 100 and 120 rev.min-1, respectively). Thus a significant increase in [La]pi and a decrease in blood pH do not play a major role in the mechanism(s) responsible for the slow component of VO2 kinetics in
humans.