The Routledge Handbook of Cycling Science

The Routledge Handbook of Cycling Science brings together internationally recognised experts to showcase the growing body of both experimental and applied knowledge in cycling science, explaining how it can be used to improve and optimise performance at all levels.With 43 chapters spanning race demands, physiology, training methods, nutrition, equipment, tactics, performance analysis, environmental factors, and health, this is the most comprehensive reference work in cycling science to date. The handbook addresses the full spectrum of cyclists, from elite road and track riders to masters, youth, female, and para-cyclists, and covers disciplines from sprint track and BMX to endurance road racing, mountain biking, ultra-endurance, and gravel events. Written by leading sport scientists and coaching academics and supported by the most recent peer-reviewed evidence, the chapters are designed to translate scientific knowledge into practical application for sport scientists, coaches, and athletes alike. The book does not shy away from areas of genuine scientific debate; topics such as training intensity distribution, relative energy deficiency in sport, and the integration of artificial intelligence in coaching are examined critically, with contributors acknowledging where current evidence is equivocal, consensus remains elusive, and further research is needed. Importantly, every chapter concludes with a dedicated future research section, making explicit the gaps in current knowledge and setting an agenda for the field.The Routledge Handbook of Cycling Science is essential reading for sport scientists, students, coaches, and athletes in competitive cycling and related endurance sports.

About the Author

Richard Davison is an internationally recognised exercise physiologist with 35+ years of academic and coaching experience, currently serving as a Visiting Professor of Exercise Physiology at the Mountain Bike Centre of Scotland, Edinburgh Napier University, UK. He is a Fellow and former President of the European College of Sport Science Congress and a Fellow and former Chair and Honorary Treasurer of the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences. He has held editorial board positions at leading sport science journals, including the Journal of Sports Sciences , the Journal of Sport Medicine , and the Journal of Science and Cycling , and has contributed to the BASES Physiological Testing Guidelines since 1996. Richard spent 22 years as a Coach Educator with British Cycling, and his research and expertise have been applied to coaching riders to British and World Championship victories and at the Commonwealth and Olympic Games.

Arthur Henrique Bossi is a lecturer and applied researcher at Edinburgh Napier University, specialising in exercise physiology and endurance performance. His work centres on understanding individual responses to exercise training and translating that knowledge into personalised performance interventions. Before taking up his lectureship, Dr Bossi spent more than 12 years coaching cyclists at every level, from beginners to elite mountain bikers, and served as a consultant for the Mountain Bike Centre of Scotland. This breadth of experience, spanning both the laboratory and the field, has given him a deep understanding of the cyclist–bicycle interaction and the physiological determinants of endurance performance. In this book, he brings a practical, evidence-based perspective firmly grounded in the realities of competitive cycling.