Relationship between Anthropometric Characteristics and Success in Different Cycling Terrains

Body Mass Index trends in men’s Grand Tour cycling events from 1992-2022: Implications for athlete wellbeing and regulatory frameworks

“…Researchers have discussed how lesser weight and body mass can be bene cial to cyclists seeking to gain a competitive advantage whilst riding considerable distances uphill [30,31]. In Grand Tour events, courses encompass multiple segments with sizable elevation changes and mountain climbing terrains; as an example, the 2023 Tour de France will involve one section with over ve thousand metres of elevation gain [32].…”

“…In Grand Tour events, courses encompass multiple segments with sizable elevation changes and mountain climbing terrains; as an example, the 2023 Tour de France will involve one section with over ve thousand metres of elevation gain [32]. For athletes hoping to achieve success in alternative categories, like sprinters in the Points Classi cation, maintaining a lower body mass may be deemed less advantageous because of the importance of power over shorter distances and atter sections [30,31]. Accordingly, less mass may bene t the top nishers in the GC category that we investigated, where riders need to achieve consistent results, including uphill and mountain terrain.…”

Body Mass Index Trends for the Top Five Finishers in Men’s Grand Tour and Monument Cycling Events from 1994–2023: Implications for Athletes and Sporting Stakeholders

“…Additionally, Coupe and Gergaud reported that higher BMIs negatively influenced performance in the Tour de France as measured by cumulative times and finishing positions [23]. Elsewhere, researchers have discussed that weight and body mass can be beneficial to cyclists seeking to attain competitive advantages in mountain terrain and during intervals of elevation gain [37,38].…”

“…It should be noted that BMI may not always serve as a reliable indicator of an athlete's physical condition and this metric can be changed by different variables in sporting contexts over a relatively short period of time (e.g., dehydration). Likewise, BMIs do not account for variations in muscle or fat percentage in athletes, which are factors that can also affect cycling performance [29][30][31]38]. That said, competitive dynamics may help to explain the varying declines in BMI trajectories between the Grand Tours and the Monuments.…”

“…Notably, as multi-stage competitions, Grand Tour courses typically feature numerous sections with substantial vertical gain and mountain climbing, thereby favouring riders who have power curves with sustained high-power outputs; for instance, the 2024 Tour de France course alone has a total elevation gain of 52,230 m [39]. Nevertheless, for athletes seeking to achieve success in alternative Grand Tour categories, like sprinters in the Points Classification, maintaining a lower body mass could be deemed less advantageous because of the importance of peak power curves over shorter distances and flatter sections [37,38]. In this regard, with their comparatively higher body weight, sprinters are often at the back of the peloton during the Grand Tour in the so-called "grupetto" [40], which consists of riders who struggle with climbing and work together to finish within the time limit to avoid exclusion and ensure they remain in the competitions for flatter stages.…”