Abstract des Autors

The effect of weather and environmental conditions on sports has been extensively studied over the last few years (Thornes, 1977; Spelmann, 1996; Pezzoli et al., 2010; Fleming et al., 2010). Based upon the studies of Lobozewicz (1981) and of Kay and Vamplew (2002), Pezzoli and Cristofori (2008) have studied the impact of some specific environmental parameters over different sports using a particular impact index divided into five classes. This analysis clearly shows that most of the outdoor sport activities, and in particular endurance sports, are strongly influenced by the variation of meteorological parameters. In effect the evaluation of bio-climatological conditions and of thermal comfort in endurance sports, particularly in road cycling, has a fundamental importance not only for a proper planning of the training program and the nutritional plan, but also for a better evaluation of the race strategy (Olds et al., 1995). Despite these observations, the influence of meteorological and environmental conditions is often disregarded in the outdoor sport performance assessment. The aim of this paper is to assess how much atmospheric variables may influence both the athletic performance and the comfort level for different sport disciplines. The availability of these specific information leads to a more detailed knowledge of the area of interest and opens up the possibility of making considerations on past trends, as well as on the predictability of future situations and phenomena.