Body Mass Index Trends for the Top Five Finishers in Men’s Grand Tour and Monument Cycling Events from 1994–2023: Implications for Athletes and Sporting Stakeholders

Abstract

Weight-related issues can be prevalent in elite-level sports, especially in men’s road cycling, where riders may exhibit harmful behaviours, with potentially adverse outcomes for mental and physical health. This study investigated Body Mass Index (BMI) values amongst the top five finishers in the three Grand Tours and the five Monuments races between 1994 and 2023 to assess longitudinal patterns. Publicly available height and weight figures were sourced from ProCyclingStats and BMI scores were calculated for n = 154 and n = 255 individual athletes for the Grand Tours and Monuments, respectively. Two analyses were conducted with correlations and ANOVAs: the first included the BMIs of all top-five finishes and the second focussed on the BMIs of new top-five entrants. The results from both analyses revealed consistent mean BMI decreases over the years and larger effect sizes were apparent in the Grand Tours compared to the Monuments. Although lower BMIs are associated with certain performance advantages, these declining trajectories suggest a need for enhanced awareness in the cycling community and possible regulatory measures and educational programmes to promote the sustainable wellbeing of riders. This may be particularly pertinent given the wider evidence of unhealthy weight-related attitudes and behaviours throughout the sport.