As I mentioned before, VO2 Max figures are corrected for body weight. Why? It allows comparisons between different riders.

A larger (and, therefore, heavier) athlete has a great amount of body tissue, this equates to more cells that are using oxygen and, therefore, a higher total oxygen usage. To account for this difference and allow comparisons between riders, the total amount of oxygen being used is divided by total body weight.

The figures listed above are for cyclists and it isn’t really possible to compare VO2 max figures between different sports. Cross country skiers will take great pride in telling you that the highest ever VO2 Max figures were recorded in cross country skiing, however this comparison isn’t really fair since skiers are using both their arms and legs, whereas cyclists are only predominately using their legs.

As a result, the skiers have a higher number of cells working at the same time and, therefore, a higher oxygen usage. It would be like a cyclist riding as hard as they can and lifting dumb bells at the same time!

So a rider with a high VO2 Max is destined for success? Well, it’s not that simple…