You may have read the articles from our newest columnist, Professor Norman Lazarus, in the most recent issues of Cycling Plus. Norman is an 85-year-old former audax champion and current physiology professor at King’s College, whose research alongside his colleagues over the past 15 years has in particularly focussed on older cyclists. As well as leading his studies, Norman has often been a participant in the studies, as demonstrated in the photo above where he's being pushed to his limit in a VO2 max test.
This is just one in a battery of tests that you too could be put through, as part of the latest round of research that Norman and the team at Guy’s Campus, King’s College are about to start work on. This research involves an in-depth analysis of the physiology of cyclists and, should you agree to take part, will provide you with a thorough MOT of your physiological status. If you haven’t had the experience of being able to closely understand your physiology in a lab setting, taking part in this study will give you the opportunity.
The study calls for younger men and women aged between 18-35 as well as older men and women cyclists aged 60 and over. They would expect younger volunteers to be capable of cycling 100km in 6.5 hours and to complete one 100km ride in each of the two weeks prior to recruitment into the study. While they would expect the older group also to cycle 100 km in 6.5 hours, allowances for lesser distances will be considered.
Volunteers should be healthy and not be taking any prescribed medication, and will be required to visit their labs on two or three occasions. Besides physiological and exercise testing there will also be the opportunity to donate blood samples for immune and other analyses, muscle biopsies to examine the structure and function of muscle constituents and fat and skin sampling. All examinations and testing are carried out in their laboratories in Shepherd’s House close to London Bridge in central London (and completely separate from the hospital).
This call-out for volunteers is a King's College project and has no links to Cycling Plus. To find out more about the study and to receive a copy of the participant information sheet, email Dr Tom Francis at healthy-ageing@kcl.ac.uk
