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Seasonal variation of haemoglobin mass in internationally competitive female road cyclists

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Abstract

In order to quantify the seasonal variability of haemoglobin mass (Hbmass) in cyclists during a competitive season, and investigate whether variability is associated with changes in training load or performance, Hbmass was measured in 10 internationally competitive female road cyclists approximately once per month for 2–10 months via CO-rebreathing. Power meters were used to quantify daily load (Training Stress Scores) during training and racing, from which cumulative training load units for 7, 14, 28 and 42 day were calculated. Maximal mean power (MMP) for 1, 4, 10 and 25 min, performed during training or racing was used as a surrogate for performance. The relationship between changes in training load (%ΔTraining) and changes in Hbmass (%ΔHbmass), and between %ΔHbmass and changes in MMP (%ΔMMP) was established via regression analysis. Individual coefficients of variation (CV) in Hbmass ranged from 2.0 to 4.4%. The weighted mean CV in Hbmass was 3.3% (90% Confidence Limits: 2.9–3.8%) or 23 g over the average 6.6 ± 2.3 month monitoring period. The effect of %ΔTraining on %ΔHbmass was small for 7 and 14 day (r = 0.22 and 0.29), moderate for 42 day (r = 0.35) and large for 28 day (r = 0.56). The regression slope was greatest for 42 day, with a 10% change in training associated with a ~1% change in Hbmass. The relationship between %ΔHbmass and %ΔMMP was ~0.5:1 for MMP1min,10min and 25min and ~1:1 for MMP4min, respectively. Hbmass varies by ~3% in female cyclists during a competitive season. Some of the variation may be related to oscillations in chronic training load.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the staff and students of the Physiology Department at the Australian Institute of Sport and Mapei Sports Services for their assistance with testing and equipment as well as the athlete’s for their cooperation during testing. Special thanks to Marilyn Dickson and Elsa Lepore for all their assistance with logistics, to Aldo Sassi for the use of his laboratory in Italy, and to Wayne Nichols and James Nitis for keeping the SRMs functional. The statistical advice of Professor Will Hopkins is gratefully acknowledged. This research was financially supported by Flinders University and Cycling Australia’s High Performance Cycling program. The experiments in this article comply with the current laws of the country in which they were performed.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Correspondence to Laura A. Garvican.

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Communicated by Susan Ward.

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Garvican, L.A., Martin, D.T., McDonald, W. et al. Seasonal variation of haemoglobin mass in internationally competitive female road cyclists. Eur J Appl Physiol 109, 221–231 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-009-1349-2

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