Laboratory Vs Real World Testing

Running on a treadmill in the comfort of your gym isn’t exactly the same as running on an outdoor track or on hilly trails through the woods. It’s the same with cycling. A study published in the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance shows just how big the difference can be using 4-minute time trials.
 
After recovering from an incremental test to exhaustion, 16 male cyclists performed 4-minute all-out time trials on a stationary cycle ergometer, on level ground riding a bike and riding a bike uphill. The uphill ride required about 11% more physical effort than riding on level ground, and 8% more than riding the stationary bike.