The exercise protocol consisted of (a) first 3 minutes at rest (no pedalling) on the cycle ergometer; (b) 3 minutes of unloaded pedalling as a warm up; (c) testing phase until the participant reached a symptom limited maximum. Workload was continuously ramp type increased by 5-10 Watts every minute to ensure 8-12 minutes of testing; (d) the final 3 minutes were unloaded pedalling to cool down. Heart rate (Polar Electro, Kempele, Finland) and blood pressure (Riva Rocci) were monitored for the last 10 seconds every 2 minutes during the test. The 10-point BORG scale therapy short form assessed the rate of perceived exertion (RPE) at phases (c) and (d). Peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak) was defined as the highest VO2 value when the following criteria were attained: respiratory equivalent ratio (RER) > 1.10; peak heart rate (HRpeak) within 10 min-1 of age predicted maximum and rating of exertion (RPE > 8.5).