If you are the ‘typical well-trained 70kg male’ seeking evidence-based cycling advice, you have hit the jackpot. The majority of sport science guidance has been designed for you. If you are female, however, you are not so lucky. Of 5,261 sport science papers analysed for the British Journal of Sports Medicine this year, just 6% focused exclusively on female subjects. Every time women apply findings from the 60% of papers involving only men, we are taking a gamble.
The bias against female athlete research is so strong that even those who could benefit most from it have been advised against developing it. Helen Scott raced as a tandem pilot in the GB Paralympic team for over eight years, winning five Paralympic medals, eight Worlds medals and four Commonwealth Games golds. She is now the Podium Potential men’s sprint coach for the GB Cycling Team.
“When I was doing my final year project for my sport science degree,” says Scott, “I had access to the whole GB cycling team, but my supervisor specifically said I couldn’t use the females because I wouldn’t have enough time to marry up all of their menstrual cycles.”
Given such attitudes, what do we know about the differences between male and female physiology as pertains to cycling, and why do these differences matter for women wanting to optimise their training?
Hormone differences
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة March 07, 2024 من Cycling Weekly.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة March 07, 2024 من Cycling Weekly.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Shorter TT bike
A British shop brand that backed two of the greats of time trialling
Gut health
A gastroenterologist's advice on limiting gut distress and improving your microbiome
7 THINGS I LEARNED FROM BREAKING MY FACE
When a crash left CW's Tom Davidson with a titanium plate in his cheek, his perspective on cycling started to change. Here's what he took away from the saga
Syncros Capital SL Aero wheels
Owen Rogers reviews bling carbon wheels with a price tag to match
SRAM Red AXS
SRAM improves shift quality and tackles braking woes of old in its latest road bike groupset, reports Joe Baker
CRISIS? WHAT CRISIS?
Cancelled races, folded teams, bankrupters, Britain's domestic road racing scene appears organis to be in tatters. But is the outlook really as dire as it seems? Charlie Graham-Dixon investigates
AMERICA'S GREAT AGAIN*
*But can it last? The US finally has a clutch of star riders again, but is its top-level success built on solid foundations
THE HUB
All the news you might have missed from the last seven days
Lifeplus-Wahoo aim for pro ranks
Continental squad hopes to mark 10-year anniversary with ProTeam status
Matt Holmes kickstarts comeback with Lincoln win
Former Lotto-Soudal rider returns from retirement with victory at big domestic fixture