Internal and External Load Characteristics in Professional Female Cyclists During Highly Successful and Less Successful Seasons

Purpose: This exploratory study aimed to determine and compare the external and internal training and racing load characteristics of female professional cyclists during “highly successful” and “less successful” seasons. Methods: Forty-three seasons of 14 World Tour cyclists (seasons: 3 [1] per cyclist, age: 24 [4] y) over a 7-year period were analyzed (9.036 training and 1.974 races). Based on the ProCyclingStats points per race, cycling seasons were classified as “highly successful” (≥5 points per race) or as “less successful” (<5 points per race). External and internal load characteristics and intensity distributions were determined and compared using a multilevel random intercept model followed by pairwise comparison. Results: Most external load characteristics (such as distance, duration, and kilojoules burned) were higher during “highly successful” seasons (P < .01), while the overall mean power outputs were similar. During “highly successful” seasons, cyclists were able to train more in power zones 1 and 2 (P < .05), while cyclists during less successful seasons were spending relatively more time in zone 5 during races (P < .01). In contrast to external load characteristics, no differences were found in internal load characteristics between “highly successful” and “less successful” seasons. Conclusion: Professional female cyclists in “highly successful” seasons were able to train more (volume) than during “less successful” seasons. In addition, the relative intensity of training sessions and races was lower during “highly” than “less” successful seasons. These findings highlight the importance of high-volume low-intensity training in female professional cyclists, which may contribute to better durability capacity in races.