NORFOLK, Va. — As the 2026 Tour de France unfolds, cyclists are once again pushing the limits of endurance, speed, and performance. The 21-stage race spans more than 3,000 kilometers across France and is widely regarded as one of the world's most prestigious endurance competitions.
Each year, riders seem to get faster despite increasingly demanding race conditions—a trend that researchers at Old Dominion University wanted to better understand.
For Dr. Patrick Wilson, an exercise scientist at Old Dominion University, the project began with a personal interest in professional cycling.
"I'm a fan," Wilson said. "I enjoy watching endurance sports, particularly bike racing. It's entertaining in a different way in that there's actually a team aspect to it."
Curious about the steady increase in race speeds over the past four decades, Wilson partnered with ODU data analyst Ross Gore, who works in the University’s Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center. They examined 40 years of Tour de France data.
"If you look back 40 years ago, the times were around 37 kilometers per hour," Gore said. "Now they're around 41 or 42."
According to the scientists, while today's Tour de France courses are generally shorter than they were decades ago, they feature more concentrated climbing sections and greater total elevation gain, making the race more physically demanding despite the shorter distance.
They say advances in bicycle technology and sports science have played a major role in improving performance. Modern bikes are lighter and more aerodynamic, while athletes now have access to better training methods and a deeper understanding of nutrition and recovery.
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"Every year I think you'll see the bikes get lighter and lighter," Gore said. "People get smarter and smarter in how they take in nutrition and how they use it in the races."
Nutrition, in particular, has undergone a dramatic shift. Cyclists now consume significantly more carbohydrates during competition than they did in previous generations to maintain energy throughout each stage.
"Today, you're regularly seeing riders consume 90 to 120 grams an hour," Wilson explained. "In some rare cases, they even go above that. That's a lot of carbohydrate. If you think about that in practical terms, like a banana, you're going to be eating five to six bananas per hour."
The research also has applications beyond professional cycling. Wilson says the findings can help scientists better understand how endurance athletes in a variety of sports, including running, swimming, and cycling, can improve performance through training and recovery techniques.
One example is heat acclimation, which can produce many of the same physiological benefits as altitude training.
"After exercise, you take a hot bath or go in a sauna, and you're doing that for multiple weeks," Wilson said. "It causes some of those same adaptations. So these athletes are maybe making more red blood cells. They're also making more total blood and have a higher blood volume, which helps them deliver more oxygen."
As for this year's Tour de France, Wilson and Gore predict the 2026 winner will average 41.81 kilometers per hour over the course of the race. Whether that prediction holds true will be revealed when the Tour concludes later this month.
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