AUTHOR=Bayne Freya , Racinais Sebastien , Mileva Katya N. , Hunter Steve , Gaoua Nadia 

TITLE=The Type of Per-Cooling Strategies Currently Employed by Competitive and Professional Cyclists-Triathletes During Training and Competition Are Condition (Dry vs. Humid) Dependant

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sports and Active Living

VOLUME=4

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sports-and-active-living/articles/10.3389/fspor.2022.845427

DOI=10.3389/fspor.2022.845427

ISSN=2624-9367

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Purpose</title><p>To investigate cooling strategies employed by athletes (cyclists-triathletes) during training and competition in hot and dry (HD) and hot and humid (HH) conditions.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>Thirty-five athletes completed an online questionnaire on the type, timing, and justification of cooling strategies employed during past training and/or competitions in HD and HH conditions. In addition, 3 athletes also completed a one-to-one follow-up interview.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Comparisons between strategies employed in all conditions were based on <italic>N</italic> = 14 (40%). Cold-water pouring was the most employed (<italic>N</italic> = 4; 21%) strategy during training and/or competing in hot conditions. The timing of the strategies employed was based on pitstops only (<italic>N</italic> = 7; 50%). The justification for strategies employed was based on trial and error (<italic>N</italic> = 9, 42.85%: <italic>N</italic> = 10, 47.61%). All athletes rated strategies employed as 1 (“not effective for minimising performance impairments and heat-related illnesses”). Comparisons between HD and HH were based on <italic>N</italic> = 21 (60%), who employed different strategies based on condition. Cold-water ingestion was the most employed (<italic>N</italic> = 9, 43%) strategy in HD, whereas a combination of cold-water ingestion and pouring was the most employed (<italic>N</italic> = 9, 43%) strategy in HH. The timing of strategies employed in the HD split was pre-planned by distance but was modified based on how athletes felt during (<italic>N</italic> = 8, 38%), and pre-planned by distance and pit stops (<italic>N</italic> = 8, 38%). The timing of strategies employed in HH was pre-planned based on distance and how athletes felt during (<italic>N</italic> = 9, 42%). About 57% (<italic>N</italic> = 12) of the 60% (<italic>N</italic> = 21) perceived effectiveness in HD and HH as 3 (“<italic>Sometimes effective and sometimes not effective”</italic>), whereas 43% (<italic>N</italic> = 9) of the 60% (<italic>N</italic> = 21) perceived effectiveness in HD and HH as 4 (“<italic>Effective for minimising performance impairments</italic>”).</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>Cold-water ingestion is the preferred strategy by athletes in HD compared to a combination of cold-water ingestion and pouring in HH conditions. All strategies were pre-planned and trialled based on distance and how athletes felt during training and/or competition. These strategies were perceived as effective for minimising performance impairments, but not heat-related illnesses. Future studies should evaluate the effectiveness of these cooling strategies on performance and thermoregulatory responses in HD and HH conditions.</p></sec>