Lance Armstrong is the seven time winner The Tour de France is a bicycle race which covers between 3500 to 4000 kilometers. What type of muscle fiber probably predominates in the legs of bicyclists who compete in this annual event?
Red fibers
Skeletal muscle fibers can be classified as red fibers, white fibers or intermediate fibers. Red fibers are smaller in diameter; white fibers are larger in diameter. Red fibers have more mitochondria than white fibers. Red fibers make up slow-twitch muscle; white fibers make up fast-twitch muscle. Red fibers are more resistant to fatigue than are white fibers. Red fibers have more myoglobin (oxygen binding pigment) than white fibers. White fibers store glycogen and use anaerobic metabolism.Red fiber and slow twitch muscle is for endurance.White fiber and fast twitch muscle is for a burst of power.