The Road to the UCI: Profiling a professional Brazilian female road cycling team

Women’s professional cycling has grown exponentially in popularity in the past years and it has been no different in Brazil. In 2019 the first Brazilian female cycling team achieved UCI ranking status. Nonetheless, there is a paucity of data regarding the seasonal demands that these athletes encounter. This semi-observational study monitored 5 athletes from a Brazilian professional female cycling team throughout their 2018 season, obtaining training and competition data, laboratory-based physiological and performance measures, and clinical and nutritional analyses. Total distance covered over the year was 11124±2895 km (range: 7382 to 14698 km). The athletes competed in 58 races across 5 countries and 3 out of the 5 athletes sustained injuries at different moments throughout the season. Maximal oxygen uptake was reduced over the season (P=0.005), but Wingate and 4-km time-trial performance was unaltered (all P>0.05). All athletes were healthy at the start of the season as demonstrated by the clinical analyses, while all reported regular menstrual cycles; three of the five athletes were taking oral contraceptives. Immunological and haematological parameters were maintained throughout the season and there were few reported cases of infection. Nutritional and stress markers remained largely unchanged throughout the season, although testosterone levels were low for some at various moments. Mean estimated energy availability (EEA) ranged from 32.3 to 56.8 kcal·kgLBM-1·day-1 during training and from 26.4 to 53.8 kcal·kgLBM-1·day-1 during competition. The percent of training spent in optimal EEA was generally low, with three athletes spending less than 35% within the optimal intake. Bone mineral density total body Z-scores ranged from -0.6 to 0.5. Training and competition schedules of these professional Brazilian female cyclists were like those of female World Tour cyclists. Reduced exercise capacity towards the end of the season may be indicative of a gruelling year-long schedule and several of the athletes may have been exposed to sub-optimal energy availability during the season, potentially affecting testosterone levels in several athletes. No further alterations in the hormonal profile, menstrual cycle or incidences of infection were shown. These data demonstrate the complexity of professional female cycling and further longitudinal studies on top-level female cyclists are warranted.