Stress/recovery balance during the Girobio: profile of highly trained road cyclists

The purposes of this study were to (a) determine
and compare the magnitude of pre–post recovery and
stress scores among highly trained cyclists participating in
the ‘‘Girobio’’, and (b) identify stress/recovery balance
factors that remained constant from pre- to post-race testing.
Sixty-seven cyclists with extensive international
experience and representing various teams participated in
the study. Data were collected during the Girobio-2012, a
multi-stage competition for Under 23 and Elite cycling
categories, held annually in Italy. Participants responded to
the Recovery-Stress Questionnaire for Sport 1 day before
the first stage (test, T1) and on the day of the ninth/final
stage (i.e., 5 h prior to the start) (retest, T2). Compared to
test scores, at retest we expected to find higher stress and
lower recovery values for all subscales with the exception
of self-efficacy and self-regulation, which reflect goaloriented
experiences rather than psychophysical states
linked to a given race. Overall, results were in this expected
direction. No significant effects were found for one general
stress subscale (i.e., Conflict/Pressure), two general
recovery subscales (i.e., Success and Social Recovery), and
two sport-specific recovery subscales (i.e., Personal
Accomplishment, and Self-Efficacy), thus suggesting the
stability of these stress/recovery factors over time. Collectively,
these findings reinforce the importance of
assessing multiple indicators of stress/recovery balance to
establish mental training guidelines aimed at addressing
and preventing both temporary and relatively chronic
maladaptation among cyclists.