Burning Multiple matches

When a cyclist rides at highly anaerobic power we say he is burning a match. “Burning” might not be the right word because the anaerobic glycolytic process does not oxidize any glucose. Nevertheless we know that the total amount of anaerobic mechanical energy that can be produced in a single bout is limited to his anaerobic capacity W’

Acute fatigue occurs when his effective anaerobic reserve equals zero, whereupon recovery can occur by reducing power below his recovery threshold RT.

Here we see the analysis of a stage in the Arctic Race of Norway. This stage end with 4 local laps, with a climb of 85 altitude meters. On each climb our cyclist goes all the way and burns all his anaerobic reserve. Between each climb there is approximately 14 minutes of “easy riding” where he recovers to 70% of W’. At the end he still manages to sprint to a top-3 result. His fast death load for the whole stage is 13.36