Training volume and amateur cyclists’ health: a six-month follow-up from coinciding with a highdemand cycling event

Abstract

This study aimed to analyse the longitudinal association of amateur cycling training volume with health by comparing the proximity of participation in a high-demand cycling event. Variations in cycling training volume, behavioural cardiometabolic risk factors, and physical and psychosocial health were examined. Cyclists decreased their training volume by approximately 40% and their total physical activity volumes by approximately 20%, while controls maintained (~5%). A time*group interaction was found for men’s physical conditioning, body mass index and anxiety and, independent of gender, for behavioural cardiometabolic risk factors. Variation in cycling training volume was positively correlated with variation in physical conditioning and total physical activity and negatively correlated with variation in body mass index. The high level of cycling training volume developed at the time coinciding with a high demand cycling event predisposes to better physical health and behavioural cardiometabolic risk factors, without negatively affect psychosocial health, compared with six month later.