Professional road cyclists are among the most extreme endurance athletes alive, yet until recently professional cycling training was understood almost entirely from studying men. A 2026 study in Biology of Sport changed that, tracking 16 female and 16 male WorldTour cyclists across the 10 weeks before their season — nearly 1,700 sessions.
A finding that overturns assumptions
Men and women rode a near-identical number of sessions per week (about 6), yet men trained more hours (19.1 vs 16.7), covered more distance (535 vs 428 km), and did far more mechanical work (12,397 vs 7,458 kJ). On paper, the men seem to train much harder.
Why the load matches
The twist: relative training load was effectively identical — a Training Stress Score of 848 for men and 847 for women. The reason is intensity. Women spent less time in low-intensity zones and more at moderate-to-high intensity: shorter but harder.
A shared pattern
Over 90% of these elite cyclists followed a pyramidal intensity distribution: a large low-intensity base, less moderate work, a little high intensity. Before racing, women tapered far harder (-44% vs -21%), with researchers cautioning that over-cutting intensity can blunt hard-won fitness.
The practical message
Good professional cycling training is about tailoring, not copying: volume for men, relative intensity for women. For everyday athletes, the deeper lesson is that ‘harder’ isn’t only hours — intensity and volume are two levers, and smart training balances both. See also: more reads.
Sources
The information in this article is for educational purposes only and does not substitute professional medical advice.
