Role-Specific Performance Profiles of Professional Cyclists in a Grand Tour

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Exercise Physiology
• Cycling Performance Analysis

Background:

• Grand Tour cycling features diverse stages and rider roles.
• Intra-stage workload dynamics in professional cycling are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze workload variations across different rider roles and stage types in professional cycling.
• To investigate how power output and efficiency change throughout various Grand Tour stages.

Main Methods:

• Observational study of 36 male professional cyclists during the 2020 Vuelta a España.
• Analysis of power meter data from 17 stages (flat, semi-mountainous, mountain) using principal component analysis and mixed models.
• Categorization of riders into climbers, all-rounders, and flat specialists.

Main Results:

• Climbers exhibited high initial power in mountain stages, with decreasing high-intensity power and increasing average power.
• All-rounders and flat specialists showed varied power output changes depending on stage type.
• Flat stages demonstrated consistent power increases per 10% progression for all rider types.

Conclusions:

• Rider workload in Grand Tours is significantly influenced by their role and the specific stage profile.
• Findings provide insights for optimizing training strategies and in-race tactics for professional cyclists.
• Understanding intra-stage workload dynamics is crucial for performance in elite cycling events.