Introduction: Mental fatigue (MF) increases perceived exertion (RPE) and impairs endurance performance in recreationally-trained athletes (Marcora 2009; Pageaux 2014). The effect of MF on elite athletes is unknown. The aim of the study was to assess the performance, physiological and psychological responses of elite cyclists following a bout of mental exertion. Methods: Nine elite road cyclists completed 30 min of an incongruent Stroop colour-word task, previously used to induce MF in recreational runners (Pageaux 2014), or 30 min of a passive control task in a double blind cross-over study. Following each treatment, participants completed a standardised warm-up and a 20 min cycling time trial (TT). Performance, physiological and psychological measures were recorded throughout the Stroop task and TT. Results: The Stroop task was rated as more mentally demanding (p<0.001), requiring more effort (p<0.001) and eliciting greater subjective ratings of fatigue (p=0.005) than the control task. Blood glucose concentration tended to increase throughout the Stroop task (p=0.053). During the TT, there was no difference between conditions for mean power (p=0.983), total distance covered (p=0.491) or pacing profile (p=0.777). RPE increased over time (p<0.001) but was identical between conditions (p=1.00). Discussion: Mental exertion did not affect RPE or TT performance in elite cyclists. These findings contrast those observed in recreational athletes (Pageaux 2014). The negative impact of MF on endurance performance has been attributed to an accumulation of adenosine in the anterior cingulate cortex, the primary sensory input for RPE (Pageaux 2014). Adenosine accumulates under periods of increased energy demand and reduced energy availability. Training-induced increases in basal cerebral glycogen levels have been observed in rats following 4 weeks of endurance training (Matsui 2012). A similar adaptation in the elite cyclists would subsequently minimise adenosine accumulation and disruption to RPE and performance. In support of this hypothesis, blood glucose concentration in this study tended to increase throughout the Stroop task, also in contrast to findings in recreational athletes (Marcora 2009: Pageaux 2014). Elite athletes therefore may possess training-induced adaptations and experience which afford them the ability to reproduce exercise performance following mental exertion.
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