Table 3. Total EMG root-mean-square (RMS) normalized by maximal M-wave amplitude (Cycl_RMS/M) measured at the beginning of each bout and every 20 min during the three 80-min bouts of cycling for the rectus femoris (RF), vastus lateralis (VL) and vastus medialis (VM) muscles and rating of perceived exertion (RPE), blood glucose, blood lactate and core temperature measured before (PRE) the 4-h cycling exercise and at the end of every 80 min cycling bout.

	PRE	Bout 1					Bout 2					Bout 3
Time (min)		0	20	40	60	80	0	20	40	60	80	0	20	40	60	80
CyclRMS/M RF	/	5.4	5.6	5.7	5.7	5.8	7.2	7.1	7.6	7.4	7.3	6.8	6.7	6.4	6.8	6.4
		±1.8	±1.7	±2.1	±2.2	±2.0	±2.7	±2.4	±3.2	±2.7	±2.8	±2.6	±2.2	±2.4	±2.7	±2.3
CyclRMS/M VL	/	9.3	9.4	9.1	9.2	9.5	12.1	12.6	13.3	13.5	13.6	11.6	12.0	11.4	12.1	11.6
		±2.4	±2.2	±2.1	±2.3	±2.2	±9.5	±9.9	±10.5	±11.2	±10.8	±5.6	±6.3	±5.2	±6.4	±6.0
CyclRMS/M VM	/	14.2	13.9	13.4	13.5	13.7	17.6	18.0	19.4	19.2	19.1	17.1	17.7	17.6	18.4	17.4
		±5.5	±4.6	±4.8	±4.7	±4.5	±11.4	±11.5	±12.7	±12.8	±12.2	±8.5	±8.6	±9.3	±11.1	±9.8
RPE	/	20	20	23	30	37	32**	37**	44**	49**	50**	42***	56***	63***	68***	68***
		±13	±11	±11	±15	±16	±14	±16	±19	±19	±21	±18	±21	±20	±23	±23
Blood glucose	6.6	/	/	/	/	5.3	/	/	/	/	5.0$$	/	/	/	/	5.5
(mmol·L−1)	±1.2					±0.5					±0.9					±1.1
Blood lactate	1.7	/	/	/	/	1.3	/	/	/	/	1.3	/	/	/	/	1.2
(mmol·L−1)	±0.5					±0.4					±0.6					±0.6
Temperature	36.6	/	/	/	/	36.9	/	/	/	/	37.1	/	/	/	/	37.1
(°C)	±0.2					±0.6					±0.6					±0.6

Data are mean values ± SD. Significantly different from PRE: ^$$ P<0.01. Significant bout effect: Bout1<Bout 2 and 3, **P<0.01 and ***P<0.001.