Studies that have examined the relationship between the peak V02 and distance
racing performance in SCI subjects are equivocal. Cooper 12 and Hooker & Wells13 reported no significant relationship between the peak V0 2 and actual wheelchair velocity (WV) during a 10 km road race in well trained paraplegics. In contrast, Lakomy et alll indicated that these two variables were significantly related (r = 0.61) to each other during a simulated 5 km wheelchair race in a mixed group of 10 paraplegics and two quadriplegics. These investigators also reported that in a subgroup of five international calibre paraplegic athletes, the relationship between the peak V02 and WV was 0.77.