Case Study: The application of daily carbohydrate periodisation throughout a cycling Grand Tour

Professional road cycling is recognised as one of the most energetically demanding competitive sports. A Grand Tour is composed of 21 stages of almost consecutive daily racing that varies in exercise intensity, duration and terrain (1,2). Within a Grand Tour there are large variations in on-bike ex ercise energy expenditure (EEE), from ~1000 kcal during a time trial to>4500 kcal in mountain stages. To balance adequate fuelling for performance while maintaining or improving a rider`s power to weight ratio across 3-weeks of racing requires matching CHO intake to the demands of different stage types. Aim: The aim of this case report was to describe in detail the quantification of daily on-bike EEE and the delivery of a daily periodised CHO feeding strategy for a male professional cyclist during the 2021 Vuelta a Espana. Methods: Athlete and overview of sporting history The male athlete was 26 years old with six years` experience as a professional cyclist, the last three years at UCI World Tour level. The athlete`s role within the team at the 2021 Vuelta a Espana (his 6th Grand Tour) was as a "domestique", supporting the team`s general classification leader during hilly and mountain stages. The athlete provided informed written consent for the publication of these data
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Bibliographic Details
Subjects:
Notations:endurance sports biological and medical sciences
Tagging:Etappenrennen
Published in:Sport Performance & Science Reports
Language:English
Published: 2022
Online Access:https://sportperfsci.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/SPSR-158_Impey_Final.pdf
Issue:158
Pages:1-12
Document types:article
Level:advanced