REACH YOUR PEAK
Boost your performance with the latest sports science and tech findings
01 Horses for courses
Will your Little Geraint become a professional cyclist when they grow up? Are they looking to win the Tour de France? Or perhaps looking to be an überdomestique, protecting the leader from the wind and reeling in any breakaway? If so, it’s good to work back from the physical identikit required to race at WorldTour level. Which is where recent research featured in the European Journal of Sport Science comes in. A team of Spanish researchers analysed the anthropomorphic characteristics of 76 professional road cyclists (all male so sadly impossible to disseminate the results for female riders) to spot trends among the peloton. One of the researchers was Mikel Zabala, former coach at Movistar, suggesting some of the participants might have come from the Spanish team.
The 76 road cyclists averaged 27.5 years old and covered an average 28,886.5km a year in training and competition. Skinfold measurements were also taken using callipers at eight body sites to help gain more anthromorphic information.
What did they find?
When it came to bodyweight, it certainly seemed horses for courses for the three categories of cyclist: climbers averaged 63.8kg, all-rounders 68kg and flat aficionados (sprinters and ‘flat’ domestiques) 74.5kg. As for body fat, there were no significant differences between the three groups, body fat ranging from a borderline dangerously low 5.4% to 18.7%.
However, there were significant differences in muscle mass, with the flat specialists exhibiting much higher levels than all-rounders and climbers, both in the upper body and lower body. This can be explained by the need to possess high levels of absolute power output on the flat, especially when riding over the cobbles of Roubaix on a windy spring day, for example.
Conversely, climbers and all-rounders displayed higher ectomorphy (thin body build) and lower body mass than flat specialists. That helps in those brutal passes where gravity influences performance. In the Alps and Pyrenees, a better power output production relative to body mass is considered a performance determinant.
The conclusion for little Geraint? “These findings supported the idea that different potential genotypes [genetic constitutions] could drive a given phenotype [body type],” say the authors. “Therefore, different long-term training exposure and/ or different nutritional strategies could lead to different team roles.”
02 Pedalling a better life
Cycling really does forge a longer, healthier life. A recent study in the European Journal of Applied Physiology had 12 active and 12 inactive ‘healthy’ males, matched for age and body composition, attend the laboratory in a fasted state. They were then asked to sit quietly in an armchair for 150mins while their metabolic, autonomicnervous system and cardiovascular measurements were taken. They did this both fasted and until 60mins after a balanced breakfast. Once the results were in, there were three key differences in the active over the inactive group: fat oxidation was higher; heart rate was lower; and vagal tone was “enhanced”. The latter’s associated with lower blood pressure, reduced anxiety and improved digestion. In short, cycling’s benefits are more than skin-deep.
TAKEAWAY TIP
Without sounding too evangelical, it’s time to get your inactive mates into cycling. Their quality of life will depend on it!
03 Post-illness acceptance
If you’re on antibiotics, clearly you shouldn’t exercise as you’re unwell. But what’s the impact once you’re feeling better and you’ve completed your course of medicine? According to research in the journal Behavioural Processes, expect a slow return to your performance norm. Mice were given antibiotics for 10 days and saw their daily distance drop by 21%, even
05 Beetroot continues to benefit
Beetroot’s been on many cyclists’ liplips – and discolouring discolo their wee – for yearyears since Professor Andrew JJones of Exeter University showed its exercise benefits. WWell, over 10 years on and the positive research keeps on coming. The latest, lates in the Journal of SpSports Sciences, concluded conc that a nitrate-rich nitrat beetroot though they weren’t ill. In fact, they didn’t return to pre-medicine levels until 12 days after completion. This is potentially down to two reasons, say researchers. One is that their microbial advantage – for instance, lactate-metabolising bacteria – is blunted by the antibiotics, reducing exercise performance. The other is down to the wiping out of gut microbiome that influences motivation and reward circuitry in the brain. Either way, don’t expect miracles when you return from illness.
TAKEAWAY TIP
A pre- or probiotic post antibiotics could accelerate the return of improved gut health… and improved cycling performance.
04 Sleep your way to a new personal best
Working from home and seeking a more proficient day, both behind the computer and on the bike? Don’t tell your boss but it might be time for a nap. New research shows that under well-rested conditions (7 to 9hrs sleep), mid-day napping can help improve exercise and cognitive performance post-nap. A mid-day nap can also prevent, or at least lessen the effect of, work and exercise degradations brought on by sleep loss (fewer than 5hrs kip). Naps of between 30 and 90mins are recommended.
TAKEAWAY TIP
A midday nap is not skiving. Increasingly, studies show an afternoon kip will actually make your day more productive. supplement reduced the oxygen cost of moderate-intensity cycling exercise. In essence, the nitrate in the beetroot worked its way through a metabolic pathway that results in nitric oxide making exercise feel easier.
TAKEAWAY TIP
It’s nitrates that are key to improving performance, so foods like kale can also work. But you need a lot so nitrate supplementation is best.
“CLIMBERS WEIGHED AN AVERAGE 64KG, ALLROUNDERS 68KG AND FLAT AFICIONADOS (SPRINTERS AND DOMESTIQUES) 75KG”