For too long, female riders have been offered two poor options. Ignore the cycle entirely and pretend nothing changes, or follow a simplified phase chart that assumes every rider should feel the same way on the same day. Neither approach is good enough for serious performance work.

The opening days of a period can affect pain, sleep, appetite, gut comfort, mood, perceived effort, iron status and training readiness. Some riders feel heavy, flat and uncomfortable. Some feel normal. Some feel sharper than expected once the session begins. Research in elite athletes shows that many athletes report cycle-related symptoms and perceived performance effects, but the relationship between cycle phase and objective performance is complex, individual and not suited to blunt universal rules.

A track cyclist does not need a lower standard during menstruation.

She needs a better system around the same standard.

Medical And Performance Note

This guide is intended as performance education for riders and coaches. Menstrual symptoms, heavy bleeding, irregular cycles, pain, fatigue, iron status, contraception and supplementation should be discussed with a qualified healthcare professional, sports physician or registered sports dietitian where relevant.

For tested athletes, supplements should only be considered after a clean-sport risk assessment. UK Anti-Doping states that no supplement can be guaranteed free from banned substances, and athletes remain responsible for any prohibited substance found in their system.

The First Principle: Read The Rider, Not The Calendar

The menstrual phase should not automatically mean rest. It should not automatically mean hard training either.

The useful question is not simply, "What day of the cycle is this?"

The better question is: "What can the rider produce well today, and what will it cost to ask for it?"

That is the performance decision. A rider who is sleeping well, fuelling well, moving normally and producing clean early efforts may not need major adjustment. A rider with heavy bleeding, poor sleep, cramps, digestive discomfort or unusual fatigue may need a different session shape before the day becomes junk load.

A reduced session can still be elite. A forced session can be expensive.

The aim is not to protect the rider from hard work. The aim is to protect the quality of the hard work.

What May Change During The Menstrual Phase

During menstruation, bleeding begins as the uterine lining is shed. Oestrogen and progesterone are generally low. For some riders, that low-hormone environment can feel clear and stable. For others, the physical cost of bleeding, cramping, disturbed sleep or gut discomfort becomes the main limiter.

The useful coaching word is variability.

Two riders can be on the same day of bleeding and present very differently. The same rider can also vary from one cycle to the next, especially when travel, training load, illness, life stress, low energy availability or contraception changes are involved.

Possible performance pressures include:

  • Cramps or pelvic pain
  • Lower back or hip discomfort
  • Heavy bleeding
  • Poor sleep
  • Gut disruption
  • Reduced appetite
  • Higher perceived effort
  • Lower motivation
  • Emotional flatness
  • Reduced confidence in maximal efforts
  • Fatigue linked to iron status or low energy intake

Possible performance positives can also exist:

  • Some riders feel mentally clearer
  • Some tolerate intensity well once warmed up
  • Some feel lower hormonal disruption than in the premenstrual phase
  • Technical work can be very productive
  • Controlled high-quality sessions can maintain rhythm without excessive cost

None of this should be treated as automatic. The menstrual phase is not a fixed performance script. It is information.

The Warm-Up Is A Readiness Test

A serious programme needs a simple monitoring process.

Not a dramatic daily questionnaire. Not a culture where the rider has to explain everything. Just enough information to make better decisions before the session is already compromised.

Useful markers include:

  • Bleeding level
  • Cramp or pain level
  • Sleep quality
  • Morning energy
  • Mood
  • Appetite
  • Gut comfort
  • Warm-up response
  • First effort quality
  • Perceived effort against normal outputs
  • Willingness to attack the session

The warm-up often tells the truth faster than the plan.

If the rider moves well, reports normal intent and produces clean early efforts, the planned session may continue with only small changes. If she looks guarded, cannot find rhythm, reports unusual heaviness or cannot access normal coordination, the session should change.

That is not lowering standards. That is coaching.

Training Guidance: Protect Quality First

The first days of bleeding are often the most symptom-sensitive for riders who experience cramps, heavy bleeding or fatigue. They are also the days most likely to be mishandled by a rigid programme.

A rider with low symptoms may train normally.

A rider with moderate symptoms may need the same session theme but fewer efforts, longer recoveries or a lower ceiling.

A rider with severe symptoms may need rest, mobility, easy spinning, medical advice or a return-to-quality plan rather than another attempt to prove toughness.

Good options for more symptomatic days include:

  • Technical rolling starts
  • Line-holding drills
  • Low-volume standing-start mechanics
  • Flying efforts below full race intensity
  • Pacing rehearsal
  • Team pursuit communication drills
  • Keirin decision-making review
  • Bunch-race positioning work
  • Video analysis
  • Mobility
  • Easy aerobic riding
  • Gym technique without maximal loading

The session still needs intent. A lighter day should not become a vague day.

For sprint riders, this might mean first-pedal timing, body position, launch rhythm and track line. For pursuit riders, it might mean pacing discipline, exchanges and communication. For bunch riders, it might mean positioning, reactions, decision-making and short accelerations without turning the session into a survival test.

Coach note: Reduced volume is not reduced seriousness. A low-volume technical session can still move the rider forward.

Returning To Harder Work

Many riders begin to feel more available as bleeding and pain reduce. The temptation is to chase back anything that was softened earlier in the phase.

That is usually poor programming.

The return to harder work should be progressive. If the rider is sleeping better, fuelling normally and moving well, structured sprint, endurance, gym or race-specific work can return. The ceiling can rise again, but it should rise because the rider is ready, not because the calendar says so.

Useful work later in the phase may include:

  • Standing starts with normal intent but controlled volume
  • Flying 100s or 150s
  • Sprint line rehearsal
  • Cadence drills
  • Team pursuit changes
  • Pursuit pacing
  • Short tactical race simulations
  • Gym work where symptoms and readiness support it

Good programming absorbs the menstrual phase. It does not punish the rider afterwards.

Track Cycling-Specific Demands

Track cycling makes poor readiness visible.

A standing start exposes hesitation. A flying 200 exposes line choice, speed control and confidence. Team pursuit exposes pacing discipline and the ability to absorb repeated pressure. Keirin exposes decision-making under fatigue and contact. Bunch racing exposes emotional control as much as physiology.

The menstrual phase can affect all of those things.

It can also be used intelligently.

A rider who is slightly below peak output can still refine the details that win races:

  • Launch timing
  • Gate composure
  • First-lap rhythm
  • Shoulder and hip stability
  • Line discipline
  • Gear feel
  • Cadence smoothness
  • Tactical patience
  • Race reading
  • Communication
  • Positioning under pressure

There is value in learning how a rider performs when the body is not giving easy power. Championship racing is rarely perfect. Travel, heat, delays, nerves, disrupted sleep and schedule changes all affect output. A well-managed menstrual phase can become part of resilience building without romanticising suffering.

The work still has to be useful.

Fuelling: Do Not Let The Quiet Losses Build

Performance often drops during menstruation for simple reasons.

The rider eats less because she feels uncomfortable. She delays fuelling because of cramps or gut symptoms. Sleep is disrupted. Appetite changes. Training still happens. The body is asked to produce intensity while energy availability quietly falls.

That is not only a menstrual-cycle issue. It is a fuelling and load-management issue.

The first nutritional priority is consistency:

  • Enough total energy
  • Enough carbohydrate around hard sessions
  • Enough protein across the day
  • Enough fluid
  • Enough sodium when sweating heavily
  • Enough iron-rich foods
  • Enough recovery food after training

Hard track sessions need carbohydrate availability. Sprint work, repeated accelerations, pursuit intervals and bunch-race efforts all depend on high-quality fuelling. A rider who under-eats across the first days of bleeding may still complete the session, but the cost may show later in mood, sleep, recovery, immune function and repeatability.

Low energy availability is also a wider athlete-health issue. The IOC's REDs consensus describes relative energy deficiency in sport as a syndrome linked to harmful health and performance outcomes when athletes are exposed to low energy availability.

Do not ask an under-fuelled body to behave like a high-performance machine.

Iron Status

Iron deserves serious attention, especially for riders with heavy periods, high training load, fatigue, endurance demands or a history of low ferritin.

Menstrual bleeding can contribute to iron loss. Low iron stores can affect energy, adaptation and the ability to tolerate training. The answer is not blind supplementation. The answer is proper monitoring.

Riders with heavy bleeding, unusual fatigue, breathlessness, recurrent tiredness or poor training response should discuss blood testing with a qualified healthcare professional. Useful markers may include full blood count and ferritin, with further testing guided by symptoms and clinical advice.

Food-first iron support can include:

  • Lean red meat
  • Poultry
  • Fish
  • Eggs
  • Beans
  • Lentils
  • Fortified cereals
  • Leafy greens

Vitamin C-rich foods alongside plant-based iron sources

Tea, coffee, calcium-rich foods and some supplements can reduce iron absorption when taken at the same time as iron-rich meals or prescribed iron. A sports dietitian can help build a routine that works around training, travel and digestion.

Fatigue should not be treated as a personality flaw until fuelling, sleep, iron status and training load have been checked.

Supplements: Keep The Standard Clean

A menstrual-phase guide should not become a shopping list.

Some supplements may have a role for some riders in specific circumstances. Iron, vitamin D, magnesium, omega-3, creatine, caffeine, nitrates and other interventions can be relevant when there is a clear need, proper professional support and clean-sport assessment. They should not be presented as automatic solutions for every rider during every period.

For elite riders, the standard has to be higher.

The correct questions are:

  • Is there a clear need?
  • Has it been assessed by a qualified professional?
  • Is it legal in sport?
  • Has the product been batch-tested?
  • Is the benefit worth the risk?
  • Is the rider already fuelling, sleeping and recovering properly?

UKAD advises athletes to assess the need, risk and consequences before using supplements, and to use batch-tested products where supplements are used.

A rider should never feel that she needs a supplement stack to manage a normal biological process.

The foundation is coaching, fuelling, sleep, medical care where needed and clean-sport discipline.

Recovery During Menstruation

Recovery should be practical. Pain, bleeding, poor sleep and digestive discomfort can increase the cost of training. The rider may not need a dramatic intervention. She may need simple, well-timed support.

Useful recovery options include:

  • Heat for cramps if helpful
  • Gentle mobility
  • Easy spinning
  • Breathing work before sleep
  • Earlier evening routine
  • Short nap after training if sleep has been poor
  • Prompt post-session fuelling
  • Reduced non-essential load on heavy symptom days
  • Medical advice for pain management where needed

Painkillers should not be used casually to force through sessions. Riders should speak to an appropriate healthcare professional about safe options, especially around racing, travel, stomach sensitivity and other medication.

The best recovery strategy is often honesty.

If the day has cost more than usual, the programme should know.

Mindset And Chimp Model Considerations

The mental side of the menstrual phase is rarely only hormonal.

A rider may feel irritated that her body needs managing. She may worry that symptoms will be seen as weakness. She may not want to discuss bleeding, cramps or fatigue with a coach. She may feel embarrassed. She may fear losing selection ground. She may force a poor session because the emotional cost of adapting feels greater than the physical cost of pushing.

Steve Peters' Chimp Model can be useful here because it gives the rider and coach a shared language for separating emotional reaction from performance decision-making. In the model, the Chimp represents the emotional system, the Human represents the rational and perspective-based system, and the Computer stores beliefs, memories and learned patterns that influence behaviour. Chimp Management describes the model as a mind-management framework developed by Professor Steve Peters to help people understand and manage thoughts, emotions and behaviours.

During the menstrual phase, the Chimp may not be wrong to react. It may be trying to protect the rider from pain, embarrassment, judgement or failure. The aim is not to silence it. The aim is to manage it.

The Chimp might say:

"I feel flat, so I am not good enough today."

"If I tell the coach, they will think I am weak."

"Everyone else is coping better."

"I need to push through or I will lose ground."

"This session is already ruined."

"My body is letting me down."

The Human response needs to be calm, factual and performance-led:

"This is information, not failure."

"The aim is quality across the block, not ego in one session."

"Adjusting the session can protect adaptation."

"I can still sharpen something today."

"I have performed well in this phase before."

"A smart change is not a soft choice."

"My body is not the enemy. It is part of the system."

The Computer matters because it stores the rider's automatic beliefs.

If a rider has learned that honest reporting leads to judgement, her Computer may push secrecy. If she has learned that only suffering proves commitment, her Computer may push unnecessary risk. If she has learned that symptoms can be managed without drama, she is more likely to report early, adjust well and return to quality faster.

Good programmes deliberately build better Computer files.

They make the conversation normal before there is a problem. They track symptoms privately. They treat adaptation as part of performance. They do not reward riders for hiding useful information. They do not make menstruation a public identity. They make it one more part of intelligent preparation.

A practical Chimp Model process for this phase:

1. Notice The Chimp

The rider names the emotional reaction without judging it.

"I am worried I will be seen as weak."

"I am frustrated that I do not feel sharp."

"I want to force the session because I feel behind."

2. Let The Human Check The Facts

The rider or coach brings the conversation back to evidence.

How did she sleep?

How heavy is the bleeding?

How bad is the pain?

How did the warm-up feel?

Are the first efforts clean?

Is the planned work still likely to produce adaptation?

3. Use The Computer To Build A Better Script

The rider repeats a prepared cue that supports performance.

"Read the body. Protect the quality."

"Strong riders adapt early."

"Do the best session available today."

"Do not turn one hard day into three bad ones."

4. Make A Clear Decision

The decision should be specific.

Continue as planned.

Reduce volume.

Extend recovery.

Change the session focus.

Move maximal work.

Replace intensity with technical work.

Rest and seek medical input if symptoms are severe.

The Chimp Model works best here when it stops the rider spiralling into identity and brings her back to action.

Not "I am weak."

Not "I am broken."

Not "I have failed the session."

The better question is:

"What is the best performance decision available now?"

The Human does not win by pretending the Chimp is stupid. It wins by listening, checking the facts and choosing the action that protects the rider's long-term standard.

Coach Language During This Phase

The coach sets the tone. If the coach makes the conversation awkward, the rider will learn to hide information. If the coach overreacts, the rider may feel medicalised. If the coach dismisses symptoms, the rider may push through avoidable risk.

Good language is calm, adult and direct:

  • "What are your symptoms today?"
  • "How did you sleep?"
  • "How did the warm-up feel?"
  • "Is this pain, fatigue or normal resistance?"
  • "Can we get quality from the planned work?"
  • "What adjustment protects the session?"
  • "What do we need to note for next cycle?"

Poor language is vague, loaded or judgemental:

  • "Are you sure you are not just tired?"
  • "Can you push through?"
  • "Everyone gets periods."
  • "We cannot keep changing sessions."
  • "You need to be tougher."

A rider should not have to choose between honesty and being seen as elite.

Extended Or Heavy Bleeding

Bleeding beyond five days is not automatically a crisis. Some riders naturally bleed longer. The key questions are whether it is normal for that athlete, whether it is heavy, whether symptoms are worsening and whether performance or daily life is being affected.

Heavy or prolonged bleeding should not be dismissed as part of being an athlete. NHS guidance says heavy periods can include needing to change a pad or tampon every one to two hours, using two types of period product together, periods lasting more than seven days, large clots, bleeding through clothes or bedding, avoiding daily activities because of periods, or feeling tired or short of breath. The NHS also advises seeing a GP if heavy periods affect life, have continued for some time, involve severe pain, or come with other concerning symptoms.

Possible contributors can include:

Normal individual variation Training stress Low energy availability Contraceptive changes Iron deficiency Thyroid issues Fibroids Endometriosis PCOS Other gynaecological or medical causes

The correct response is not panic.

It is proper investigation. If bleeding is extended but light and the rider feels well, training may continue with sensible monitoring. If bleeding is heavy, painful, unusual or linked with fatigue, dizziness, breathlessness or poor performance, the plan should be adjusted and medical support should be sought.

Riders should seek medical advice if: Bleeding is much heavier than usual, periods regularly last more than seven days, pain is severe or worsening and symptoms are getting worse across cycles

For serious athletes, the best support may come from a sports physician, women's health GP, gynaecologist or registered sports dietitian who understands training load.

The aim is not to medicalise every period.

The aim is to stop important signs being normalised because the athlete is used to suffering.

What Coaches Should Build Into The Programme

A high-performance programme should have a menstrual-cycle process before there is a problem.

Not a public conversation. Not an awkward formality. A normal, private, adult system that allows riders to share relevant information and coaches to make better decisions.

At minimum, the programme should include:

  • Private symptom tracking
  • Clear language around adjustment
  • Access to female health expertise
  • Iron status monitoring where appropriate
  • Fuelling support
  • Clean-sport supplement checks
  • Coach education
  • A process for heavy bleeding or severe pain
  • Protection from selection stigma around honest reporting

Riders should know that reporting symptoms will not automatically remove them from meaningful work. Coaches should know that ignoring symptoms does not make the programme tougher.

It makes it less precise.

Coach And Rider Checklist

This checklist is intended as a practical trackside summary. It should not replace medical advice, individual coaching judgement or proper athlete-health support.

Before The Session

Check:

  • How heavy is the bleeding?
  • How severe are cramps or pain?
  • Was sleep disrupted?
  • Is appetite normal?
  • Are gut symptoms present?
  • Is mood unusually low or reactive?
  • Is the rider properly fuelled?
  • Is there unusual fatigue?
  • Is this pattern normal for the rider?
  • Is the planned session essential today?

During The Warm-Up

Watch for:

  • Guarded movement
  • Poor rhythm
  • Low confidence in acceleration
  • Unusual heaviness
  • Abnormally high perceived effort
  • Difficulty accessing normal cadence
  • Poor coordination
  • Early signs that the planned intensity is not available

Ask:

  • "Do the first efforts feel normal?"
  • "Is this discomfort manageable or performance-limiting?"
  • "Can we still get quality from the planned work?"

Training Decision

If symptoms are low: Continue as planned, monitor the first efforts and keep normal standards avoid unnecessary restriction

If symptoms are moderate: Keep the session theme, reduce volume and extend recovery. Lower the intensity ceiling if needed and shift towards technical or tactical quality

If symptoms are severe: Do not force maximal work, use rest, mobility or easy spinning. Consider moving the hard session. Seek medical advice if symptoms are unusual, heavy or concerning. Protect the next high-quality training opportunity

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Good Session Alternatives

Useful options include:

  • Rolling starts
  • Line-holding drills
  • Low-volume gate or standing-start mechanics
  • Flying efforts below maximal race intensity
  • Pursuit pacing rehearsal
  • Team pursuit exchanges
  • Keirin decision-making review
  • Bunch-race positioning work
  • Tactical video analysis
  • Gym technique without maximal loading
  • Mobility and easy aerobic riding
  • Fuelling And Recovery Checks

Confirm:

  • Carbohydrate was available before hard work
  • Protein is spread across the day
  • Fluids and sodium are adequate
  • Post-session food is planned
  • Iron-rich foods are included regularly
  • Sleep disruption is recognised
  • Pain is not being masked simply to complete poor-quality work
  • When To Pause And Get Support

Seek medical advice when:

  • Bleeding is much heavier than usual
  • Periods regularly last more than seven days
  • Severe pain is present
  • Large clots occur
  • There is dizziness, faintness or breathlessness
  • Fatigue is persistent or unusual
  • Symptoms are worsening across cycles
  • Periods become irregular, absent or unpredictable
  • Under-fuelling may be present
  • Chimp Model Cues

When the Chimp says:

"I am weak today." The Human says: "This is information, not failure."

When the Chimp says: "I need to force the session." The Human says: "The aim is quality across the block."

When the Chimp says: "Everyone else is coping better." The Human says: "My job is to make the best performance decision available now."

When the Chimp says: "This day is wasted." The Human says: "I can still sharpen something today."

Final Coaching Position

The menstrual phase is not a reason to lower ambition. It is a reason to coach with more accuracy.

A rider can bleed and still be elite. She can adjust a session and still be serious. She can need medical support and still be robust. She can feel flat early in the phase and world-class later in the same week. She can have a difficult cycle without becoming unreliable.

Track cycling is too precise for blunt rules. Read the rider. Protect the quality. Keep the standard. Adjust the cost.