Bosio A¹, Pecci C¹, Guardascione C¹, Carlomagno D¹, Artuso P¹, Rampinini E¹

1, MAPEI Sport Castellanza, Italy

Introduction Seasonal variation of total haemoglobin mass and the influence that training load can have has been investigated in elite athletes from different sports. Nevertheless, it is not clear whether a similar trend is valid for a specific group of professional cyclists who ride several thousands of kilometres during the season. The aim of this study was to investigate the seasonal variations of haemoglobin mass, VO_2max and endurance capacity in professional cyclists. Methods Nineteen professional male cyclists were measured for total haemoglobin mass (optimised CO re-breathing method) during 1 year. The within-subject variability of haemoglobin mass was quantified. The seasonal variations of haemoglobin mass, VO_2max and endurance capacity were determined in a sub sample of 15 cyclists. Results The coefficient of variation for all haemoglobin mass measures (n=171) in the 19 cyclists was 3.3% (90% confidence limits: 2.9-3.8%) with a maximal and minimal absolute variation of 153 and 1 g respectively. Coefficient of variation for haemoglobin mass, VO2max and performance capacity measures (n=70) in the sub sample of 15 cyclists were 3.5, 4.3, 63.1% respectively. Conclusion Seasonal variation of haemoglobin mass in male professional cyclists seems to be similar to those found in elite athletes from different sports. However at an individual level very large changes are present. It has been suggested that training can affect haemoglobin mass variation throughout the season. The present data suggests that training impacts upon endurance capacity to a much greater extent than haemoglobin mass and VO_2max. References Schmdit, Prommer (2005) Eur J Appl Physiol (95):486-495. Garvican (2010) Eur J Appl Physiol (109):221-231.Eastwood (2012). Med Sci Sports Exerc (44):725-732. Sassi (2006) Eur J Appl Physiol (97):174-80.

 XXXII FIMS World Congress of Sports Medicine. 2012 ,27 – 30 september 2012. Rome