Can the Performance Gap between Women and Men be Reduced in Ultra-Cycling? This study examined a large data set of ultra-cycling racing results to examine the gender difference in ultra-cycling performance (100 to 500 miles) after age and renowning distance. Data from the period 1996-2018 were retrieved from the database of the Ultra-Cycling Marathon Association (UMCA), including distance-limiting ultra-cycling races (100, 200, 400 and 500 miles). A total of 12,716 racing results were analyzed to compare the performance between men and women after calendar year, age group (18-34, 35-44, 45-59 and 60+ years) and RenDistance.Men were faster than women in 100 and 200 miles races than women, but with the 400 and 500 miles races, no gender differences were found. The performance ratio (average cyclist / average cyclists) was lower in the 200 miles races compared to the 100-mile races and remained stable for the 400 and 500 miles races.
In all racetracks, the difference in the average driving speed between women and men with increasing age decreased.The gender-specific performance gap was closed at several distance-limited ultra-wheel races such as the 400 and 500 mile races. The whole evaluation can be found under http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/7/2521