Lactate testing is standard practice among elite cyclists, and is lately attracting more interest from amateurs too. By measuring blood lactate levels during exercise, cyclists are able to pinpoint their lactate threshold – the point at which the build-up of lactate outpaces its removal, which closely correlates to fatigue. Knowing this threshold can help optimise training intensity, prevent overtraining and enhance endurance. The debate continues as to whether, for amateur riders, lactate testing offers significant benefits over conventional benchmarks such as heart rate and power.
