mvogt46 wrote:
Actually if I recall correctly you do actually use more oxygen (like effort for like effort) on the run than bike. The limiter on endurance performance at a physiological level is not how fast your heart can beat or how hard you can push yourself on bike vs run, it's much more closely related to what goes on at the mitochondrial level within the muscles. I'm not sure on the specifics but I think I remember reading that somewhere?
And yes I do have power and my LT HR on the bike is about 8-10bpm lower than my run, and I've pushed hard enough to make myself vomit on both the bike and run
This is not the best paper about it, but all I could scratch up on the spot:
http://jap.physiology.org/content/16/6/977 The abstract concludes: "It is concluded that the aerobic capacity and maximal heart rate are the same in maximal running or cycling, at least in well-trained subjects."
Perhaps later, I can find the better citations. Basically, they all read that yeah, running uses more muscle groups, but you end up using those few leg muscles in cycling much harder. So in the end, you're cycling at the same maximal level as running...which is simply your max possible. If your limiter is HR, then that pegs first. If its mitochondrial activity, then I'd assume those leg muscles in well trained cyclists get more dense to even out first.