Abstract
The practice of physical activity in a variable climate during the same competition is becoming more and more common due to climate change and increasingly frequent climate disturbances. The main aim of this pilot study was to understand the impact of cold ambient temperature on performance factors during a professional cycling race. Six professional athletes (age = 27 ± 2.7 years; height = 180.86 ± 5.81 cm; weight = 74.09 ± 9.11 kg; % fat mass = 8.01 ± 2.47%; maximum aerobic power (MAP) = 473 ± 26.28 W, undertook ~20 h training each week at the time of the study) participated in the Tour de la Provence under cold environmental conditions (the ambient temperature was 15.6 ± 1.4 °C with a relative humidity of 41 ± 8.5% and the normalized ambient temperature (Tawc) was 7.77 ± 2.04 °C). Body core temperature (Tco) was measured with an ingestible capsule. Heart rate (HR), power, speed, cadence and the elevation gradient were read from the cyclists’ onboard performance monitors. The interaction (multivariate analysis of variance) of the Tawc and the elevation gradient has a significant impact (F(1.5) = 32.2; p < 0.001) on the variables (cadence, power, velocity, core temperature, heart rate) and on each individual. Thus, this pilot study shows that in cold environmental conditions, the athlete’s performance was limited by weather parameters (ambient temperature associated with air velocity) and race characteristics. The interaction of Tawc and elevation gradient significantly influences thermal (Tco), physiological (HR) and performance (power, speed and cadence) factors. Therefore, it is advisable to develop warm-up, hydration and clothing strategies for competitive cycling under cold ambient conditions and to acclimatize to the cold by training in the same conditions to those that may be encountered in competition.
Highlights
Professional road cycling races are composed of events ranging from one day to three weeks of competition with race durations ranging from less than one hour to several hours with varying race profiles [1]
The context of the study, i.e. the measurement of thermal and physiological parameters in real cycling race conditions within a professional team, was an opportunity but did not allow us to acquire a wider range of data
The race regulations impose certain constraints such as a maximum number of seven athletes per team, or a limitation on the type of equipment carried on the athlete, which limits the number of athletes who can participate in the study as well as the type of study carried out, and the analysis of our results is affected
Summary
Professional road cycling races are composed of events ranging from one day to three weeks of competition with race durations ranging from less than one hour to several hours with varying race profiles [1]. Some authors [5,6,7,8,9] have hypothesized that environmental factors such as temperature, solar radiation, environment, air velocity with the Wind Chill Index (WCI) or humidity can influence the level standard of performance in endurance sports such as cycling, triathlon, or running [8]. These endurance sports sometimes take place in snow, rain, at negative temperatures or at average temperatures above 35 ◦ C. Recent studies underline this [6,10,11,12]
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