Enhancing Performance with CORE

In the demanding world of professional cycling, staying ahead of the competition involves more than just physical training and strategy. It requires leveraging the latest technology to optimize performance. One such innovation Lidl-Trek employ is the CORE sensor, a wearable device that provides real-time data on core body temperature. Lidl-Trek’s Team Support Manager Koen de Kort has given us an insight into how this wearable technology is integrated into the team’s training and analysis.

The CORE sensor plays a pivotal role in Lidl-Trek riders’ heat training and acclimation processes. In some ways, heat training can be compared with altitude training, as both are methods to enhance athletic performance via increasing blood volume. Systematically exposing riders to controlled heat conditions can trigger physiological adaptations that improve endurance and efficiency.

De Kort explained, “With the CORE sensor, there’s a few things that we can do as a team. For the riders, it’s essentially a tool to do heat training; it’s a way of improving the performance of the rider. And then it’s also a possibility to do heat adaptation to prepare the riders for racing in hot conditions. Some of our riders live in Northern Europe where they are used to mild temperatures, but due to the nature of the racing calendar might be racing in Australia in the peak of summer or the Tour de France and Vuelta a España, with hours in the saddle at temperatures over 30 degrees Celsius. Heat adaptation is vital to prepare the body to perform in such conditions.”

“The sensor is critical because if you want to do heat training, it’s a very specific zone that you have to be in. Core body temperature alone does not sufficiently estimate thermal strain on the body; skin temperature is important as well. With the Heat Strain Index, CORE provides a real-time measure of how hard the body is working to stay cool, taking core body and skin temperature into account.,” De Kort noted. “The CORE sensor helps ensure that riders are in the correct zone for this type of training.”

Many of the Lidl-Trek riders use the CORE sensor consistently, valuing the real-time data it provides during races and training sessions. This information is invaluable for post-race and post-training analysis, helping performance staff to refine strategies and tailor training programs to individual needs.

“Our riders use the CORE sensor because they like to see the data and like to know everything during the races. We can analyze everything after the race and every training session. You can see the core temperature and heat strain index of the rider at every moment in every race or training and develop a cooling strategy for the future,” De Kort said.

Beyond training and acclimatization, the CORE sensor is being integrated into our R&D efforts, particularly when considering new time trial suits. By assessing how different textiles impact core and skin temperature, it can be possible to innovate more effective, cooling-enhanced clothing, so that the body can continue to perform optimally even under intense efforts, without compromising aerodynamics.

“When making new time trial suits, we’ve taken core and skin temperature into consideration. We plan to use the CORE sensor more in the future to research the influence of different textiles and potential cooling materials,” the De Kort finished.