Mauricio Garzon, lecturer at the School of Kinesiology and Physical Activity Sciences at the University of Montreal
We suspected it, but now science confirms it: cyclists born at high altitude would perform better.
This is the finding of a Colombian study in which Mauricio Garzon, a lecturer at the School of Kinesiology and Physical Activity Sciences of the University of Montreal, took part.
To reach this conclusion, the research team subjected to a test of increasing exercise until exhaustion – to determine the maximum oxygen consumption (VO2 max) and maximum aerobic power (MAP) – 80 runners aged 17-22 from three performance categories and born at three altitude levels.
First, while cyclists born at an altitude of more than 2000 m represented approximately 50% of the analyzed sample, cyclists who had won or occupied privileged positions as professionals in a “grand tour” (Tour de France, Giro d’Italia or Tour of Spain) constituted a significantly higher proportion (84%) of the study group.
Then, the runners born at low altitude had values of PAM and VO2 max lower than those of medium and high altitude cyclists.
“In cyclists who reach the podiums in the big tours, the fundamental factor of their success is better oxygen consumption and we have proven that being born, growing up and training at high altitude improves this consumption”, indicates Mauricio Garzon.
Altitude et performance
At altitude, available oxygen is reduced. To compensate, among other mechanisms, the body produces more hemoglobin and hematocrit, elements of the blood that facilitate the transport of oxygen to the organs. These hematological adaptations would increase aerobic performance insofar as the total volume of red blood cells increases and promotes oxygen consumption, which is a key factor for success in endurance sport.
Many teams and professional federations go on “altitude training courses” to improve the performance of their athletes. But the haematological benefits of these stays, which last approximately three weeks, only last for a short time in the body.
“Our study shows that there seems to be a genetic component in those born at altitude, possibly even more if this is also the case with their parents and grandparents, which makes it possible to have this adaptation naturally, forward Mauricio Garzon. We can see this in the big tours: a lot of cyclists from Ecuador, Colombia or in general from mountainous areas such as the Pyrenees, the Alps, the Sierra Nevada or the Carpathians and even those who train at altitude in some areas of the Colorado and Arizona manage to stay ahead of the pack during the mountain stages, they respond better to efforts at high altitude.
Naturally advantaged, but…
Athletes born at high altitude would therefore be more predisposed to become high-level athletes, particularly in endurance sports (when the socio-economic context allows it), thanks to a natural production of hematological components favoring the transport of oxygen in the body.
But there is a downside.
Professional athletes are subject to doping controls. And sometimes, even if they haven’t taken doping substances, some cyclists exceed the permitted limits.
This is particularly the case for erythropoietin (EPO). Used as a doping substance, EPO is a hormone naturally secreted by the kidneys to stimulate the production of red blood cells to increase oxygen supply and saturation. And the hypoxia caused by the altitude precisely stimulates the production of EPO. It would therefore be possible to naturally present a high level of this hormone.
“In the world of sport, we are beginning to consider this hypothesis: that certain athletes have a different response because of their environment or their genetics, and not because of cheating”, specifies the researcher.
