Effect of the Environment on the Sport Performance: Computer Supported Training - A Case Study for Cycling Sports

The effect of weather and environmental conditions on sports has been extensively studied over the last few years. Most of the outdoor sport activities, and in particular endurance sports, are strongly influenced by the variation of meteorological parameters. Notwithstanding the conditions of the outdoor environment are often not considered when evaluating sport performances, as if they were not important, the sport performances are strongly related to the environmental conditions. The aim of this paper is to assess how much atmospheric variables may influence both the athletic performance and the comfort level for different sport disciplines. The analysis of a case study, focused on the cycling sport, shows how the computer supported training can help the Coaches and the Athletes to consider simultaneously the sport performance and the environmental data.