Riding the grueling Tour de France bike race takes strength, stamina – and perhaps a heart nearly 40 percent bigger than normal. Researchers who examined the hearts of former Tour cyclists found that the athletes’ hearts were from 20 to 40 percent larger than average, said Dr. Francois Carre of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire at Rennes, France.
The difference is attributable largely to rigorous training that expands the cyclists’ hearts. But researchers have not determined whether the athletes’ hearts were larger to begin with. Medical tests done on all Tour de France cyclists before the race begins showed virtually all have enlarged hearts, Carre said.
“When you see an athlete’s heart test, you know right away that it’s not a normal person,” he said.
