The importance of the stress test in cycling: why should you get one?
Every cyclist, whether amateur or professional, knows that performance on the bike not only depends on endurance or leg strength, but also on health status and training planning. Stress tests, used in elite cycling, are increasingly widespread among those who ride mountain bikes or road bikes, as they provide key information to optimize performance and avoid risks.
But is it really necessary to undergo a stress test if you're not a professional cyclist? The answer is yes. These tests allow you to know your cardiovascular status, aerobic capacity, and other essential parameters that directly influence your performance on the bike.
Why should cyclists take a stress test?
Whether you train with road bikes to improve your endurance on long routes or enjoy technical descents on mountain bikes, it is essential to ensure your body responds well to the demands of cycling. Here are some of the benefits of taking a stress test:
1. Detect possible heart problems
Cycling is an endurance sport that puts your heart to the test. A stress test helps identify any anomalies that could affect your athletic performance, especially during intense training or competitions.
2. Optimize training for MTB and road
Knowing your anaerobic threshold and VO2 max. will allow you to better structure your training sessions, ensuring you work within the right ranges to improve without overloading yourself. This is key both for mountain bikes, where demanding climbs and technical descents alternate, and for road bikes, where the goal is to maintain a steady pace over long distances.
3. Prevent injuries and overtraining
Without proper planning, overexertion can cause chronic fatigue or muscle problems. The stress test allows you to adjust training intensity and avoid injuries from excessive load.
4. Improve efficiency on the bike
Whether on a MTB route with uneven terrain or in a road cycling tour, knowing your oxygen consumption and heart rate will help you better manage your effort, saving energy and improving your performance.
5. Safety and health control
If you are concerned about the cost of the stress test, which ranges from €70 to €180, think about the investment you make in equipment: helmet, sunglasses, or cycle computers. Ensuring your safety and health on every ride is just as important.
An investment in performance and health
Whether you practice cycling on road bikes or prefer the adrenaline of mountain bikes, a stress test is a fundamental tool to improve your performance and make sure your body is ready to face any challenge. It's not just a matter of performance, but also of long-term safety and health.
Prevents cardiovascular accidents
A cardiac arrest is the last thing an athlete wants to face, and too often excessive effort can cause it. The stress test will alert us to possible coronary risks. An ultrasound of the heart and arteries detects arrhythmias and other serious pathologies.
It serves to measure our physical condition
What better way to get on the bike than to know, as realistically as possible, what physical condition we are in. Sensations are important, but a stress test will provide us with objective and indisputable data.
It sets some limits
Both professionals and amateurs should know what their effort threshold is. Knowing how far our heart can go and what our maximum lung capacity is will tell us where the maximum heart rate we can handle is and how much recovery capacity we have.
What is the best time to do the stress test?
If you haven't ridden your bike for a while, the best time to do a stress test is when you're about to return to your favorite sport. If you are a regular cyclist, the ideal time is at the beginning of the season Elite cyclists usually undergo more than one such test per year, but for an amateur, especially if over the age of 35, once every 365 days is an adequate frequency.
What does a stress test consist of?
First of all, it should be clarified that there is not just one type of stress test, but several types ranging from the simplest to the most comprehensive. We are going to review what a test that covers the greatest number of variables looks like. In the medical center, cycle ergometers are used to simulate pedaling, but before getting on these stationary bikes, the healthcare staff will carry out a complete study in which we will provide information about our age, medical history, and lifestyle habits. This will be followed by a general clinical examination, in which leg length discrepancies and spinal deviations are checked. A biomechanical study of the footprint or, in this case, the pedaling, can also be included. After these checks, it's time for the actual test, which consists of the following:
Measurement of lung capacity with a spirometer
With the exhalation of air, several valuable parameters are obtained. FEV1 is the forced expiratory volume in the first second, and FVC is the forced vital capacity, while the Tiffeneau Index is the maximum air capacity that can be mobilized.
Cineanthropometric study
This reveals the structure of the different components of the body, composition, shape, and proportions, as well as cardiorespiratory capacity. With this, our somatotype is defined, which can range between the intermediate stages of endomorph, mesoform, and ectomorph.
Oxygen consumption
It provides information about maximum oxygen consumption (VO2 max) and relative maximum oxygen consumption (VO2 max relative). The first is the greatest amount of oxygen that our body can both transport and use in 1 minute. The second indicates how many milliliters we can use per kilogram of our weight.
Anaerobic threshold
This figure marks the point at which our body is no longer able to neutralize and recycle the lactic acid coming from muscle cells. When this happens, lactate accumulates in our muscles and performance drops sharply. Knowing where it is is always positive, because it is a threshold that can be improved with proper training.