The Physiology of Contemporary Olympic Cross-Country Mountain Biking: A Systematic Review
Overall, the current evidence confirms that the evolution of XCO has reshaped the discipline's physiological profile, shifting towards greater anaerobic contribution while maintaining high aerobic demands. Future research should address the underrepresentation of female athletes and methodological limitations, particularly in participant characterization and control of confounding factors.
Authors
- Alba Herrero-Molleda (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6261-2550)
- Baily Devantier-Thomas
- Gabriel V. Protzen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4666-3531)
- Kenji Doma (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8903-0067)
- Allan Inoue
- Cosme Buzzachera
- Juan García-López
- Daniel Boullosa
Institutions
- Universidade de Brasília (BR)
- University of Pavia (IT)
- Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (BR)
- James Cook University (AU)
- Universidad de León (ES)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Sports Medicine - Open
- Published
- 2026-02-25
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-026-00976-4
- Primary Topic
- High Altitude and Hypoxia
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- European Commission
- Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico
- Agencia Estatal de Investigación