Influence of environmental factors on Olympic cross-country mountain bike performance

Brocherie, Franck; Fischer, Simon; Larochelambert, Quentin De; Méric, Henri; Riera, Florence

doi:10.1080/23328940.2020.1761577

Cited by 5 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 28 publications

(42 reference statements)

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“…In line with our findings, these authors found that altitude exposure reduced MMP values in a dose–response manner, with a performance impairment already present at 1000 m a.s.l. Brocherie et al (6) analyzed real-world performance during cross-country mountain bike races and reported that altitude—along with other environmental factors such as humidity and temperature—was inversely associated with average speed during the races, although the authors did not assess the influence of altitude exposure on PO.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For instance, Clark et al (4) reported that laboratory-simulated altitude exposure reduced peak oxygen uptake ( VO 2peak ) and 5-min time trial performance in well-trained cyclists, with the magnitude of physiological impairment increasing as altitude rose from 200 to 3200 m a.s.l. Although preliminary evidence suggests that acute altitude exposure can also negatively affect real-world cycling performance in a dose-response manner (5,6), the evidence is scarcer compared with laboratory-based research.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Altitude and Endurance Performance in Altitude Natives versus Lowlanders: Insights from Professional Cycling

Mateo‐March

Muriel

Gandía-Soriano

et al. 2022

Medicine &Amp; Science in Sports &Amp; Exercise

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Introduction: Acute altitude exposure influences exercise performance, although most research, especially regarding altitude natives, comes from laboratory data in nonathletes. Purpose: We analyzed the influence of altitude on real-world cycling performance in top-level professional cyclists attending to whether they were altitude natives or not. Methods: Thirty-three male cyclists (29 ± 5 yr) were studied and were classified as lowlanders (n = 19) or altitude natives (n = 14) attending to the altitude of their place of birth (431 ± 380 and 2583 ± 334 meters above sea level (m a.s.l.), respectively). Both groups included top 3 finishers (including winners) in the general classification of Grand Tours and major races. Using data from both training and competitions during years 2013-2020 (8 ± 5 seasons per cyclist), we registered participants' mean maximal power (MMP) for efforts lasting 5 s, 30 s, 5 min, and 10 min, respectively, at altitudes ranging from 0-500 to >2000 m a.s.l. Results: A significant altitude-MMP interaction effect (two-factor repeatedmeasures ANOVA) was found in lowlanders (P < 0.001) but not in altitude natives (P = 0.150). In lowlanders, individual performance decreased in a dose-response manner with increasing altitudes compared with sea (or near-sea) level (0-500 m a.s.l.), whereas this trend was much less evident in natives. A significant altitude-MMP-group effect was found (P < 0.001), with nonsignificant (and overall trivial-tosmall differences) between lowlanders and altitude natives for any effort duration at altitudes ≤1500 m a.s.l. but with significant differences at higher altitudes (≥1501 m a.s.l.). Conclusions: Acute altitude exposure influences real-world performance differently in low landers and altitude natives, which might confer a competitive advantage to the latter, particularly in races including efforts at >1500 m a.s.l.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Altitude and Endurance Performance in Altitude Natives versus Lowlanders: Insights from Professional Cycling

Mateo‐March

Muriel

Gandía-Soriano

et al. 2022

Medicine &Amp; Science in Sports &Amp; Exercise

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“…These data are the first to examine the specific effect of air temperature within international hockey and support previous laboratory protocols that demonstrated impaired hockey skill and repeated-sprint performance in the heat (30°C) [ 22 ]. Whilst ambient temperature alone (range 7–41°C) has been demonstrated to be a poor predictor of international cross-country cycling performance [ 28 ], data from team sports, e.g. hockey, seemingly demonstrates different outcomes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The most proximal location to the corresponding stadia was utilized. Absolute humidity was calculated according to established equations [ 28 ] (Absolute humidity = {6.112 × exp[(17.67 × T)/(T + 243.5)] × RH × 2.1674}/(273.15 + T) where T is the dry bulb temperature and RH the relative humidity). Only air temperature was used for the group analysis, given the greater number of assumptions related to the estimation of WBGT using established models [ 29 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increased air temperature decreases high-speed, but not total distance, in international field hockey

James

Willmott

Dhawan³

et al. 2021

Temperature

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This study investigated the effect of heat stress on locomotor activity within international field hockey at team, positional and playing-quarter levels. Analysis was conducted on 71 matches played by the Malaysia national men’s team against 24 opponents. Fixtures were assigned to match conditions, based on air temperature [COOL (14 ± 3°C), WARM (24 ± 1°C), HOT (27 ± 1°C), or VHOT (32 ± 2°C), p < 0.001]. Relationships between locomotor metrics and air temperature (AIR), absolute and relative humidity, and wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) were investigated further using correlation and regression analyses. Increased AIR and WBGT revealed similar correlations (p < 0.01) with intensity metrics; high-speed running (AIR r = −0.51, WBGT r = −0.45), average speed (AIR r = −0.48, WBGT r = −0.46), decelerations (AIR r = −0.41, WBGT r = −0.41), sprinting efforts (AIR r = −0.40, WBGT r = −0.36), and sprinting distance (AIR r = −0.37, WBGT r = −0.29). In comparison to COOL, HOT, and VHOT matches demonstrated reduced high-speed running intensity (−14–17%; p < 0.001), average speed (−5-6%; p < 0.001), sprinting efforts (−17%; p = 0.010) and decelerations per min (−12%; p = 0.008). Interactions were found between match conditions and playing quarter for average speed (+4-7%; p = 0.002) and sprinting distance (+16-36%; p < 0.001), both of which were higher in the fourth quarter in COOL versus WARM, HOT and VHOT. There was an interaction for “low-speed” ( p < 0.001), but not for “high-speed” running ( p = 0.076) demonstrating the modulating effect of air temperature (particularly >25°C) on pacing within international hockey. These are the first data demonstrating the effect of air temperature on locomotor activity within international men’s hockey, notably that increased air temperature impairs high-intensity activities by 5–15%. Higher air temperatures compromise high-speed running distances between matches in hockey.

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“…For many authors [2][3][4] road cycling is mainly an outdoor endurance activity with multiple performance factors. Among the factors considered, 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]. Indeed, 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].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of a Cold Environment on the Performance of Professional Cyclists: A Pilot Study

Riera

Bellenoue²,

Fischer

et al. 2021

Life

Self Cite

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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.

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Influence of environmental factors on Olympic cross-country mountain bike performance

Cited by 5 publications

References 28 publications

Altitude and Endurance Performance in Altitude Natives versus Lowlanders: Insights from Professional Cycling

Altitude and Endurance Performance in Altitude Natives versus Lowlanders: Insights from Professional Cycling

Increased air temperature decreases high-speed, but not total distance, in international field hockey

Impact of a Cold Environment on the Performance of Professional Cyclists: A Pilot Study

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