Race weight: Perceptions of elite female road cyclists
Cycling is a weight sensitive sport with many female cyclists aiming to improve their race weight and optimise body composition to improve their power-to-weight-ratio. However, many weight loss strategies used by female cyclists increase their risk of disordered eating, low energy availability and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs) - compromising both health and performance.
During a major competition (Australian Road National Championships), 62% of 37 female elite cyclists reported being unhappy with their current race weight and believed they would race better if they were an average 1.6kg lighter.
In practice, many of my clients talk about how coaches, other athletes or even the general public have made negative comments about their size, shape or even outright asked what their weight is.
External comments about appearance matter and can lead to disordered eating practices, with over a third of female cyclists reporting that a coach or sports director express dissatisfaction about their weight within the previous 12 months.
Body composition has cycling performance implications, but lighter does not always equal better performance and care must be given how weight manipulation messages are delivered.
Many of the strategies used by female cyclists to lose weight - especially intentionally underfuelling training, skipping meals can compromise health and long term performance.
Female cyclists need appropriate nutrition advice and support regarding weight management strategies to minimise negative impacts on energy availability and support health and performance.
Gemma
REFERENCE:
Haakonssen et al. (2015) Race weight: Perceptions of elite female road cyclists. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 2015, 10, 311-317. DOI: 10.1123/ijspp.2014-0070
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