The effect of tapering period on plasma pro-inflammatory cytokine levels and performance in elite male cyclists.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of two different tapering period lengths on the concentration of plasma interleukin- 6 (IL-6), interleukin (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and performance in elite male cyclists. To this end, after completing 8 weeks progressive endurance exercise, twenty four high-level endurance cyclists were randomly assigned to one of two groups: a control group of cyclists (n = 12) continued performing progressive weekly training volume for 3 weeks while a taper group of cyclists (n = 12) proceeded with a 50% reduction in weekly training volume relative to the control group. A simulated 40 min time trial (40TT) performance ride was used as the criterion index of performance before and after the tapering period to evaluate the physiological and performance effects of each protocol.