Decrement in Professional Cyclists' Performance After a Grand Tour
- PMID: 28338363
- DOI: 10.1123/ijspp.2016-0294
Decrement in Professional Cyclists' Performance After a Grand Tour
Abstract
Purpose: To analyze professional cyclists' performance declines after, and the exercise demands during, a Grand Tour.
Methods: Seven professional cyclists performed 2 incremental exercise tests, 1 wk before and the day after the Vuelta España. During the race the exercise demands were analyzed on the basis of heart rate (HR). Three intensity zones were established according to reference HR values corresponding to the ventilatory- (VT) and respiratory-compensation (RCT) thresholds determined during the prerace test. In addition, exercise demands for the last weeks of the Vuelta were recalculated using the reference HR determined during the postrace test for the 3rd week and averaging the change observed in the VT and RCT per stage for the 2nd week. The reference HR for the beginning of the 2nd week was estimated.
Results: A significant (P-value range, .044-.000) decrement in oxygen uptake, power output, and HR at maximal exercise, VT, and RCT was found after the race. Based on the prerace test, the mean time spent daily above the RCT was 13.8 ± 10.2 min. This time decreased -1.2 min·day-1 across the race. When the exercise intensity was corrected according to the postrace test, the time above RCT (34.1 ± 9.9 min) increased 1.0 min·day-1.
Conclusion: These data indicate that completing a Grand Tour may result in a significant decrement in maximal and submaximal endurance performance capacity. This may modify reference values used to analyze exercise demands. As a consequence, the high-intensity exercise performed by cyclists may be underestimated.
Keywords: fatigue; heart rate; overraching; training load.
Similar articles
-
Reliability and Seasonal Changes of Submaximal Variables to Evaluate Professional Cyclists.Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2017 Nov 1;12(10):1356-1362. doi: 10.1123/ijspp.2016-0435. Epub 2017 Dec 18. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2017. PMID: 28338371
-
Knowledge is power: Issues of measuring training and performance in cycling.J Sports Sci. 2017 Jul;35(14):1426-1434. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2016.1215504. Epub 2016 Aug 12. J Sports Sci. 2017. PMID: 27686573 Review.
-
Relation between physical exertion and heart rate variability characteristics in professional cyclists during the Tour of Spain.Br J Sports Med. 2004 Oct;38(5):568-75. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.2003.005140. Br J Sports Med. 2004. PMID: 15388541 Free PMC article.
-
Tour de France versus Vuelta a España: which is harder?Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2003 May;35(5):872-8. doi: 10.1249/01.MSS.0000064999.82036.B4. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2003. PMID: 12750600
-
Physiology of professional road cycling.Sports Med. 2001;31(5):325-37. doi: 10.2165/00007256-200131050-00004. Sports Med. 2001. PMID: 11347684 Review.
Cited by
-
Pro-cycling team cyclist assignment for an upcoming race.PLoS One. 2024 Mar 4;19(3):e0297270. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0297270. eCollection 2024. PLoS One. 2024. PMID: 38437185 Free PMC article.
-
Exercise Evaluation and Prescription-Second Edition.J Funct Morphol Kinesiol. 2022 Dec 23;8(1):5. doi: 10.3390/jfmk8010005. J Funct Morphol Kinesiol. 2022. PMID: 36648897 Free PMC article.
-
An Examination and Critique of Subjective Methods to Determine Exercise Intensity: The Talk Test, Feeling Scale, and Rating of Perceived Exertion.Sports Med. 2022 Sep;52(9):2085-2109. doi: 10.1007/s40279-022-01690-3. Epub 2022 May 4. Sports Med. 2022. PMID: 35507232 Review.
-
Effects of 8 Weeks of 2S-Hesperidin Supplementation on Performance in Amateur Cyclists.Nutrients. 2020 Dec 21;12(12):3911. doi: 10.3390/nu12123911. Nutrients. 2020. PMID: 33371483 Free PMC article. Clinical Trial.
-
Training Characteristics and Power Profile of Professional U23 Cyclists throughout a Competitive Season.Sports (Basel). 2020 Dec 17;8(12):167. doi: 10.3390/sports8120167. Sports (Basel). 2020. PMID: 33348618 Free PMC article.
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Research Materials