Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 26, 2026

Assessment of Physical Activity Intensity with Accelerometers and Oxygen Consumption
Published on: June 20, 2025
Tour de France versus Vuelta a España: which is harder?
Alejandro Lucia1, Jesus Hoyos, Alfredo Santalla
1Faculty of Physical Activity and Sports, European University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain. alejandro.lucia@mrfs.cisa.uem.es
Purpose:
To compare the total exercise loads (intensity x volume) of the Vuelta a España and Tour de France during the last year.
Methods:
Seven professional road cyclists (28 +/- 1 yr; [OV0312]O(2max): 74.6 +/- 2.2 mL.kg-1.min-1) who participated in both Tour and Vuelta during the years 1997, 1999, 2000, or 2001 were collected as subjects. They wore a heart rate (HR) telemeter during each stage of the two races, and exercise intensity was divided into three phases according to the reference HR values obtained during a previous ramp cycle-ergometer test: phase I (
Results:
The total loads (volume x intensity) did not significantly differ between the two races (P > 0.05), despite a significantly longer total exercise time of the Tour (P < 0.05) (5552 +/- 176 vs 5086 +/- 290 min).
Conclusion:
The physiological loads imposed on cyclists' bodies do not differ between the Tour and Vuelta, despite the longer duration of daily stages in the former race.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Comparison Between Electrical And Gravitational Forces
Since both are inverse square law forces, the distance gets canceled when the ratio of the two forces is considered. Instead, the ratio of the electrical and gravitational forces depends on...
The Carnot Cycle
What could be the theoretical limit to the efficiency of a heat engine? The...
Efficiency of The Carnot Cycle
Rolling Resistance
For instance, imagine a hard cylinder rolling on a comparatively soft surface. The cylinder's weight compresses the surface beneath it. As the cylinder moves, the material in front of it slows down due to...
The Cardiac Cycle
The Process
Electrical signals—sent from the sinoatrial (SA) node in the right atrial wall to the atrioventricular (AV) node between the right atrium and right ventricle—cause both atria to simultaneously contract. When the signal reaches the AV node, it pauses for approximately a tenth of a second, allowing the atria to contract and empty blood into the...
Competition

