Case Study Essay Question: Athletes (1)
The first prompt questions why a former Tour de France Champion Chris Froome might
need to understand cardiovascular drift. In addition, the prompt asks for further information on
why the athlete needs to be aware of cardiovascular drift and the affect this concept may have on
his long cycling training rides. The Tour de France is a cycling race that occurs once year most
often held in France, but other countries may also be involved as well. This race includes twenty-
one various stages that can be completed within twenty-three days. Due to the lengthy race,
Chris Froome would benefit from understanding what cardiovascular drift is and why it would
affect him for this race. This essay will seek to answer what cardiovascular drift is, what factors
specifically affect the athlete’s cardiovascular drift during long cycling training, and how the
athlete should respond accordingly after being educated on this topic.
In order for Chris Froome to understand how cardiovascular drift may affect him as a
road racing cycling athlete, the athlete must first understand what cardiovascular drift is.
Cardiovascular drift can be described as an “increase in heart rate and decrease in stroke volume
observed during prolonged exercise” (Powers et al., 2020). This gradual increase in heart rate can
be attributed to the increasing body temperature on dehydration, and in addition, the drift in heart
rate can also be attributed to the reduction of plasma volume (Powers et al., 2020). Furthermore,
the increased heart rate reduces stroke volume, which if the heart rate did not increase in order to
compensate for this reduction of stroke volume, then the cardiac output would also lessen
(Powers et al., 2020). When referring to cardiovascular drift, one might also want to understand
the term central command because central command describes the “motor signal originating
within the brain,” which ultimately provides signals to the heart from the brain as cardiac
changes occur (Powers et al., 2020). As a result, cardiovascular drift is essential for endurance
athletes, as they need to have prolonged cardiac output in order for the athletes to successfully
perform their sport. In summary, cardiovascular can be explained by the heart rate rising due to
an individual engaging in prolonged exercise (Powers et al., 2020).
The next part of this essay will seek to answer what factors specifically affect an
endurance athlete’s cardiovascular drift during long cycling training. This race will ultimately
tests Chris Froome’s speed and endurance. On the other hand, there are various factors that could
affect his cardiovascular drift that he may need to consider when preparing for the race. One
factor would be the air temperature. The outdoor temperature could affect the cyclist’s
cardiovascular output during his performance. If the outdoor environment is warmer or cooler
than expected, these factors will affect the athlete’s heart rate during this form of endurance
exercise. The heart will have to compensate for higher or lower temperatures and will result in an
increased heart rate. Furthermore, more intensely temperatures will show a larger decrease in the
stroke volume. In addition, another factor that could affect Froome’s cardiovascular drift would
be his internal temperature during the race. Another factor would be the cyclist’s levels of
hydration. Froome needs to ensure that he is staying hydrated throughout the race in order to
perform successfully. Not only should the athlete focus on hydration, but the athlete should pair
proper hydration with high-quality nutrition if he wants to perform well. Finally, the last listed
factor is muscle activation during the race. All of these factors can influence the athlete’s
cardiovascular drift and need to be considered before engaging in the race.
In conclusion, Chris Froome should recognize what cardiovascular drift is, how this will
affect his race, and factors that can also affect his cardiovascular drift. If he is able to understand
these concepts and make the proper adjustments, he will notice that his performance will
significantly improve.
