This Cycling Science symposium brings together leading experts to discuss the latest research and practical applications shaping the future of cycling performance and athlete health. As cycling disciplines evolve, research takes on increasing importance to understand the interplay between physiology, nutrition, and technology for optimising performance and safeguarding long-term health.
Dr Iñigo Mujika will present “Cycling Demands and Optimising Training,” offering a deep dive into the unique physiological challenges of cycling and evidence-based strategies to enhance adaptation and performance. Dr Mujika will examine how training programs can be tailored to meet the specific demands of cycling. To follow, Professor Louise Burke (Australian Catholic University) will present on the unique nutrition considerations for cyclists. Prof. Burke will explore strategies to maintain energy balance and bone integrity in a sport where weight optimisation and high training loads can pose significant health challenges. These recommendations inform practical nutrition approaches for cyclists at all levels. In the third presentation, Dr Eric Freese (GSSI) will introduce “The Living Lab,” showcasing an innovative research platform designed to study athletes in real-world conditions. The integration of wearable technologies has and will continue to transform the landscape of cycling and wider sport. This approach bridges the gap between laboratory science and applied practice, enabling both mass and personalised insights on training, competition and recovery.
Together, these presentations will provide an overview of the science shaping modern cycling. The ambition is to set the stage for the final session of the symposium, which will offer the opportunity for delegates and an extended expert audience to ask questions and contribute to the discussion on performance, health and innovations in cycling science.
Date: Tuesday, 7 July
Time: 15:15 - 17:45
Session room: Auditorium A
CHAIR
Dr Ian Rollo
Principal Scientist
Gatorade Sports Science Institute
Leicester, United Kingdom
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SPEAKERS
Assoc Prof Iñigo Mujika
University of Basque Country
Biscay, Spain
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Science of Successful Cycling Performance
Cycling competition events range from a few seconds (e.g., track sprint) to several days (e.g., road cycling 3-week Grand Tours). Professional road cycling is characterised by a large number of events, range in durations and variation in race conditions. Numerous factors can affect cycling performance, notably the type of event (e.g., track vs. road, single day vs. multistage race), extrinsic conditions (e.g., race profile, weather conditions, altitude, team tactics) and individual variables (e.g., mental, physical, physiological and technical attributes, nutritional strategies). In this presentation, the main factors underlying cycling performance will be briefly summarized, with a focus on: physiological and energetic demands imposed by races of different cycling modalities, and road cycling in particular; factors associated with success in these races; physical and physiological characteristics of elite/professional cyclists and their training regimens and how these factors may be influenced by nutrition.
Prof Louise Burke
Chair of Sports Nutrition,
Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research,
Australian Catholic University
Melbourne, Australia
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Sports Nutrition: Energy Management to Support Successful Cycling Performance
There are many disciplines and events within the sport of cycling, each with specific training and race needs. However, energy management is a common theme for many cyclists, including the support for very high training and competition energy expenditure, while simultaneously adopting nutritional strategies to maintain the body mass/composition deemed to be beneficial for performance. Available evidence indicates that cyclists tend to be a weight conscious group, who frequently report engaging in restrictive eating behaviors around weight management. Furthermore, the newer discipline of eSport Cycling may involve elements of “weight making” if pre-race information on body mass and height is manipulated to contribute to performance outcomes. This presentation highlights the high energy expenditures achieved in key road races such as the Grand Tours and the one Day Monument events and how modern practices in cycling have evolved to match these needs with high in-race fueling as well as general tour support. Strategies to manage challenges to energy availability arising from fueling to physique management goals are discussed.
Dr Eric Freese
Senior Manager
Gatorade Sports Science Institute
Frisco, Texas, USA
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Beyond the Lab: Can Real-World Evidence from Wearable-Devices Inform Cycling Performance
Data have informed sport performance for decades, shaping how athletes train, compete and recover. Today, the rapid integration of wearable technologies and scalable digital tools has transformed this landscape, generating continuous streams of physiological and behavioral data in free-living environments. Yet many decision-making models remain rooted in controlled laboratory research, raising questions about their ecological validity. This presentation explores how real-world evidence can refine the interpretation of wearable-derived data. Longitudinal, free-living data reveal consistent disconnects between physiological signals such as HRV and athletes perceived readiness. In contrast, factors such as hydration, illness, and recovery behaviors, show stronger associations with wearable-derived data. Integrating physiological signals with subjective and behavioral context is essential to meaningfully guide athletes in real-world environments. As scalable biosensing technologies, like continuous glucose monitoring, and lactate become increasingly integrated into cycling and other sport, it is important to discuss; does more data equal better decisions?