Question

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

Vinnie is a professional road cyclist participating in the 2020 Giro d’Italia, a three-week race nearly 3,600 km in distance with some stages exceeding altitudes of 2,700 m above sea level (i.e., Stelvio Pass, Italy). As the newly hired head of the high-performance team, it is your responsibility to manage his preparation for the event. You must demonstrate to your team a fundamental understanding of physiology, the chronic adaptations expected from his training, and methods that could be implemented to improve the likelihood of success.

QUESTION

Within the alveoli, the partial pressure of O₂ is reduced from that measured in the outside air (160 mmHg) to approximately 105 mmHg.

1. What three factors contribute to this reduction in P_AO₂?
2. What values do you expect to observe in PO₂ and P_AO₂ when Vinnie is cycling at the peak of Stelvio Pass (barometric pressure = 543 mmHg)?
3. What impact would the change in P_AO₂ have on Vinnie’s performance?

Answer 1