Have you heard about the benefits of high-altitude training for cycling, but aren’t quite sure how to go about it or if it’s for you?
Considering copying the professional cyclists and going on an altitude training camp, but wondering if that’s the best option or if there’s a simulated altitude training option that might work better?
In this article we share some answers!
We speak to James Barber, the Lead Performance Specialist at The Altitude Centre in London. James shares everything from what altitude training involves to how it works, the effects, benefits and practical tips for getting the most from a high-altitude training program.
James Barber is the Lead Performance Specialist at The Altitude Centre. James is a sport scientist with a Masters degree from The University of Bath and is currently undertaking his PhD in environmental physiology with Anglia Ruskin University.
James has worked alongside world tour cyclists, Premier League footballers, and Olympic marathon runners on the implementation of altitude and heat training in their program, to optimise athletic performance at all levels.
What is altitude training?
High altitude training means riding your bike or doing workouts at a high elevation, usually over 2,000 metres above sea level. The classic way to do this is by travelling to a high-altitude cycling training camp. However, there are also ways that you can simulate high altitude training. We go into the detail of this below.
How does high altitude training work?
Beginner’s version
When you train at high altitude, there’s less oxygen content in the air. That means each breath you take gives you less oxygen than you’d get at sea level.
Your body doesn’t like having less oxygen, so it starts making changes to cope. First, your breathing and heart rate go up to help bring in and move more oxygen. Then, more importantly, your body starts increasing red blood cell production. Red blood cells carry oxygen to your muscles, so having more of them helps your body perform better with less oxygen.
Over time, your muscles also get better at using oxygen efficiently. These adaptations can take around two to three weeks.
When you return to lower altitudes, your body keeps those benefits for a while. Since there’s now plenty of oxygen availability and you’ve got more red blood cells, your endurance and performance improve. Workouts feel easier, and you may be able to ride faster or for longer than before.
In short, high-altitude training works by putting your body under stress from reduced oxygen. Your body adapts by becoming more efficient, and those improvements can give you a temporary boost when you return to normal conditions.
In-depth version
Read on!
A cyclist training at 2,700 metres of altitude at The Altitude Centre (photo credit: The Altitude Centre)
Sponsor Message
Want to find out more about altitude training for cyclists?
The Altitude Centre has provided altitude and related service since 2003. Their staff are trained in sports science and simulated altitude training. They are the people to speak to if you are planning any altitude adventures or looking to improve your cycling performance with altitude training programs.
Head to their website to find out more.
Exclusive offer for Epic Road Rides readers: use the code below and get 10% discount on any of the following services that you book direct with The Altitude Centre before 1 May 2026: physiological testing services, including VO2 max and blood lactate testing; heat and altitude acclimation services (excludes rentals); classes; consultations; coaching; or personal training.
What are the effects of high-altitude training for cyclists?
There are three main effects from high-altitude training on the body:
Increased red blood cell count
The key benefit of altitude training is increased red blood cell count.
Why does red blood cell count increase at altitude?
When you’re at altitude, there is less oxygen available to you in the air, which in turn means there is less oxygen in your blood. Specialised receptors in the kidney sense this drop in blood oxygen level and stimulate the secretion of the hormone erythropoietin (EPO). EPO travels to the bone marrow and instructs stem cells to differentiate into red blood cells through a series of precursors.
Why are red blood cells important?
Red blood cells are important because they contain a protein called haemoglobin (Hb) onto which oxygen binds.
If we have more red blood cells, and a greater Hb mass, we can carry more oxygen round the body.
Increased efficiency with oxygen
Training at altitude also improves our efficiency with oxygen, so not only are we better able to move oxygen round the body, we’re better at getting it into the body in the first place. We’re also better at moving it from the blood into the muscle (where we actually need it!) and we’re better at using it in the muscle to produce energy for exercise.
In short, more oxygen means we can have a higher VO2 max and lactate threshold, two key markers of endurance performance.
Less oxygen needed for the same output
It’s not all about oxygen and the blood though.
Research shows that altitude training improves exercise economy, meaning we require less oxygen to do the same power output. We also become better able to buffer the build-up hydrogen ions associated with lactate production. (Source: Gore, C. J., Clark, S. A., & Saunders, P. U. (2007). Nonhematological mechanisms of improved sea-level performance after hypoxic exposure. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 39(9), 1600–1609.)
This means that even if your blood lactate level is high, you can sustain that level for longer.
An altitude training mask (photo credit: The Altitude Centre)
What are the benefits of altitude training for cyclists?
Cyclists often ask “how does high altitude training help?”. There are three main benefits of high altitude training for endurance athletes, including cyclists:
- VO2max
- Lactate threshold
- Exercise economy
Altitude training can help improve adaptations that lead to enhancements in all three.
VO2 max
The blood based, or haematological, adaptations are amongst the most important to improve VO2max. By pumping more oxygen around the body, VO2max will increase; in fact, there is a linear relationship between Hb mass and VO2max, so that increasing Hb mass will directly increase VO2max.
Lactate threshold
Lactate threshold is improved as our ability to buffer lactate improves, and we can tolerate higher levels of blood lactate for longer.
Exercise economy
Finally, our mitochondrial efficiency improves such that we require less oxygen to produce the same power output. This is a good thing, as it means that you are exercising at a lower percentage of your VO2max, making it physiologically easier to work at that power output, so your endurance improves.
The Altitude Centre Results
At The Altitude Centre, we typically see improvements of 6-8% in Functional Threshold Power (FTP) across six week training blocks at The Altitude Centre. Our clients translate that fitness into epic endurance rides across the globe, and racing at the very highest level. For example, we have had clients compete in the professional road races of the Tour de France, Giro D’Italia and La Vuelta. We also help athletes training for the Olympics and other road races such as the Marmotte and L’Etape.
Sponsor Message
Want to find out more about altitude training for cyclists?
The Altitude Centre has provided altitude and related service since 2003. Their staff are trained in sports science and simulated altitude training. They are the people to speak to if you are planning any altitude adventures or looking to improve your cycling performance with altitude training programs.
Head to their website to find out more.
Exclusive offer for Epic Road Rides readers: use the code below and get 10% discount on any of the following services that you book direct with The Altitude Centre before 1 May 2026: physiological testing services, including VO2 max and blood lactate testing; heat and altitude acclimation services (excludes rentals); classes; consultations; coaching; or personal training.
How can you achieve altitude training when cycling?
There are a few main methods for altitude training.
High altitude training camps
Traditional cycling altitude training takes the form of altitude training camps. Cyclists travel to high altitude destinations (~1800-2200 metres above sea level) and then live and train there for 4-8 weeks at a time.
This type of altitude training, coined live-high train-high (LHTH), was for many years the gold standard, with cyclists embarking on cycling altitude training in natural altitude camp destinations like the Spanish Sierra Nevada, or Tenerife.
It’s a well-trodden path, with high levels of athlete buy in, and the research generally shows time at altitude provides a 6-8% improvement in Hb mass when this type of training is conducted well. (Source (1): Wehrlin JP, Marti B. Live high-train low associated with increased haemoglobin mass as preparation for the 2003 World Championships in two native European world class runners. Br J Sports Med. 2006;40(2):e3. Source (2): Neya M, Enoki T, Ohiwa N, Kawahara T, Gore CJ. Increased hemoglobin mass and VO2max with 10 h nightly simulated altitude at 3000 m. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2013;8(4):366–72.)
Add to this the training camp effect of a focussed block of training with good nutrition, increased attention on recovery, and higher training intensity and loads, and there’s definitely potential to improve fitness and gain a performance boost.
Things to be aware of
However, training at altitude can mean compromising on your training quality – after all if you’re in an oxygen deprived environment you might not be able to train at the same power as at sea level.
Training quality
In the 1990s researchers developed the idea of live-high train-low, which sees athletes travel to high altitude to live, but descend the mountain to train at or closer to sea level (source).
The theory here goes that by spending as much time as possible at altitude, you accumulate sufficient stimulus to stimulate EPO production, but dropping to sea level to train ensures you maintain training quality.
Early research was very positive, and it’s a strategy that’s employed to this day by elite athletes in locations like Flagstaff and St Moritz, which have easy access to lower altitude training.
Practicalities
In reality, it’s not feasible for many athletes to dedicate such a block of time and money to an altitude camp. Besides, being away from home, work, training partners, sport science support etc isn’t always conducive to good training.
The volcanic landscapes of Tenerife are a great option for high altitude cycling
Simulated altitude training
As a result of these practicalities, lots of cyclists want to know how to simulate high altitude training.
The good news is that simulated altitude training systems offer a useful alternative to LHTL.
Hypoxic training
Altitude generators simulate altitude by creating hypoxic conditions – i.e. reducing the amount of oxygen in the air you breath. By pumping this hypoxic (low oxygen) air into a tent above your bed, it’s possible to ‘sleep high’ and replicate LHTL altitude training at home.
Accumulating hundreds of hours at high-altitude conditions across the course of 4-8 weeks of sleep is a great way of achieving the same physiological adaptations as terrestrial LHTL without compromising on other aspects of your life.
For this reason, many people would consider simulated LHTL the gold standard of altitude training.
Things to be aware of
The logistical and cost implications can still be prohibitive for some people. Also some people find that the hypoxic tent affects the quality of their sleep and therefore their recovery.
Live Low Train High
We can also use altitude generators for a type of altitude training called live-low train-high.
This is perhaps the most straightforward, and therefore ‘best’, integration of altitude training for many people. LLTH means living your normal life at sea level but using the altitude generator hooked up to a high-altitude training mask whilst on the turbo or stepping into a high-altitude chamber for your training session.
With LLTH you can either train at the same intensities at altitude as you would at sea level, but get greater bang for your buck, or actually drop the power slightly but still achieve the same training stimulus (heart rate, lactate levels etc) as though you were riding harder at sea level. This allows you to manage training load effectively.
LLTH has been extensively researched and has proven benefits to cycling performance. (Source: Lee BJ, Miller A, James RS, Thake CD. Cross Acclimation between Heat and Hypoxia: Heat Acclimation Improves Cellular Tolerance and Exercise Performance in Acute Normobaric Hypoxia. Front Physiol. 2016 Mar 8;7:78. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2016.00078. PMID: 27014080; PMCID: PMC4781846.)
In our own case studies, we’ve seen FTP improvements of ~6% across 6-8 weeks of 2-3x weekly training at altitude, and it’s used by some of the best cyclists in the world to prepare for everything from the Tour de France to bikepacking adventures and multi day rides through the toughest terrain.
Things to be aware of
Its ease of implementation makes LLTH a very accessible and practical altitude training method for any cyclist training for almost any goal.
Be aware! You cannoy DIY. To achieve results, you must manipulate either air pressure or oxygen concentration in normobaric air. This means you must have the specialist kit. However, you can work with us remotely using our kit. More on this below.
Altitude training at home with a mask-based generator (photo credit: The Altitude Centre)
Which is the best form of altitude training?
The best type of altitude training for you depends on a number of factors, including cost, time and whether you live close to a training centre like The Altitude Centre.
Ultimately all can be beneficial to improved performance in their own way.
How long does it take to achieve the benefits of altitude training?
Make no mistake, altitude training is no ‘hack.’ You still have to put the work in.
Most research, and our own case studies, suggest you should start seeing the benefits of LLTH altitude training over and above matched sea level training after around four weeks. We’ve generally seen improvements over four to six weeks, with a three-month block in preparation for a major event providing significant benefits to all around fitness (~10-12% improvement in FTP).
Blood based adaptations from LHTH or LHTL may take around three to four weeks to come through, and peak performance may come a few weeks after that.
General advice is to either sleep in an altitude tent right up to your event, or to come out of the tent ~2 weeks prior to help facilitate the tapering process.
Cyclists training at the Altitude Centre in London (photo credit: The Altitude Centre)
Does high altitude training work for everyone?
Response to altitude training differs, but there’s been a push back against the idea of the ‘non-responder’ in recent years, with practitioners and researchers instead arguing that it is a case of optimising altitude training to suit the individual (source).
For instance, better results can be achieved by doing things like using altitude training around harder sessions and across a season or training block, using varying levels of altitude to suit the goal of the session, and supporting altitude training with adequate recovery through nutrition, supplementation and sleep.
How long do the advantages of altitude training last?
There are a few ways of looking at this. Research suggests that the individual rates of decay may vary across different types of indicators. (Source (1): Chapman RF, Stickford ASL, Lundby C, Levine BD. Timing of return from altitude training for optimal sea-level performance. J Appl Physiol. 2014;116(7):837–43. 66. Source (2): Mairbäurl H. Neocytolysis: how to get rid of the extra erythro-cytes formed by stress erythropoiesis upon descent from high altitude. Front Physiol. 2018;9:345. 67.)
For example, the body may start actively destroying red blood cells (a process called neocytolosis) after around 5-7 days, resulting in a reduction in haemoglobin mass and oxygen carrying capacity.
But other adaptations may still be developing and coming through in that time, and a few nights out of an altitude tent might allow you to start sleeping better and freshen up.
Sponsor Message
Want to find out more about altitude training for cyclists?
The Altitude Centre has provided altitude and related service since 2003. Their staff are trained in sports science and simulated altitude training. They are the people to speak to if you are planning any altitude adventures or looking to improve your cycling performance with altitude training programs.
Head to their website to find out more.
Exclusive offer for Epic Road Rides readers: use the code below and get 10% discount on any of the following services that you book direct with The Altitude Centre before 1 May 2026: physiological testing services, including VO2 max and blood lactate testing; heat and altitude acclimation services (excludes rentals); classes; consultations; coaching; or personal training.
When does peak performance occur?
We don’t award gold medals for having a high red blood cell count; performance is due to a number of factors.
So the real question is when does peak performance occur?
To answer that, you’d ideally take a couple of trial runs. For example, if you’re using a hypoxic tent you’d want to stop using the tent at varying times before important workouts that give you a marker of when that peak performance comes.
For LLTH altitude training, there’s no need to stop using altitude before competition; as you taper down, you’ll inherently start spending a bit less time training at altitude. At this stage it can be nice to incorporate a different type of altitude training called intermittent hypoxic exposure (IHE) which sees the athlete undertake passive exposures to very high altitudes via a mask-based system. This can stimulate blood flow, and switch on HIF1a (the altitude gene) to get the benefits of being at altitude without loading the body.
Practical tips for altitude training for cyclists
Train well
The key thing to remember with altitude training is that most of the improvement in fitness comes from the training itself. The environmental stimulus just improves that response.
If you don’t or can’t train well during the time you’re undertaking the altitude training, you won’t see as much improvement as you may hope.
To that end, a good altitude training program that manages fatigue is especially important when incorporating altitude as it can be easy to go too hard too soon and cook yourself.
Nutrition
Supporting recovery with good all-round nutrition is vital (you are a bit more carb dependent and will burn more calories overall at altitude so consider that in your nutrition), and you may choose to supplement with vitamin C, zinc and glutamine to support your immune system (increased training stress can put your immune system on the back foot).
Hydration
Finally, with any altitude exposure, hydration is vital; even short stints in an altitude chamber can trigger diuresis, so pay attention to hydration post session.
Altitude generators allow you train in simulated high altitude (photo credit: The Altitude Centre)
Who uses altitude training?
Anyone! Gone are the days of altitude training being the preserve of elite cyclists.
Facilities like The Altitude Centre allow cyclists of all levels to reap the benefits of altitude training. Some athletes will look to incorporate specific blocks of altitude training before an event, whilst others will include LLTH year-round, to support their goals.
Interestingly, we now see more athletes using altitude in injury rehab. Altitude can independently help the healing process, especially with bone injuries, and can help you get more from your workout when high- intensity training is restricted by an injury. It’s a method we see used frequently in elite sport and is gaining in popularity amongst physios and athletes in the know.
Are there any other services that may benefit cyclists seeking improvements?
Altitude training is at the core of what The Altitude Centre is all about, but we also pride ourselves as leaders in exercise physiology and environmental training.
We have a fully-fledged physiology lab in which we can undertake VO2max and lactate threshold testing with lab grade accuracy, to objectively track fitness and set training zones to help you train smarter.
Alongside altitude, we also have our heat chamber, which we can ramp up to 45 Celsius and high humidity to acclimate those athletes heading to hot environments (for example, Ironman Kona or Alpine bike rides in mid-summer).
We also offer high altitude personal training.
Staying hydrated is important when altitude training (photo credit: The Altitude Centre)
What do you offer at The Altitude Centre?
The Altitude Centre is an altitude training specialist which was founded in 2003 by Director, Richard Pullan after he completed an unaided crossing of the Atlantic having used altitude training in his preparation.
Since then, our high altitude training centre has provided altitude training systems and solutions and expertise to Olympic gold medallists, Tour de France winners and gravel world champions.
In 2023 we moved to a bespoke site in Liverpool St, London, where we provide altitude training facilities for athletes and mountaineers, and host our physiology lab, undertaking VO2max and lactate threshold testing with lab grade accuracy.
The introduction of our heat chamber has added yet another string to our bow in physical preparation.
What can you do if you don’t live close to The Altitude Centre?
If you can’t make it to The Altitude Centre, we can provide options for you to train at home with altitude generator rentals.
The kit is simple to use and allows you to simulate high altitude so that you can take your turbo sessions to the next level!
How to find out more?
Cyclists can find out more by visiting altitudecentre.com or checking us out on Instagram (@thealtitudecentre), or get in touch on city@altitudecentre.com or 02071931626
Check out our Google reviews here.
What’s next?
Looking for high altitude training locations for cycling? These destinations are worth considering:
Got a question for James?
Fill out this form and we will send it to James. We aim to get you an answer within 24 hours where possible!James Barber is the Lead Performance Specialist at The Altitude Centre. James is a sport scientist with a Masters degree from The University of Bath and is currently undertaking his PhD in environmental physiology with Anglia Ruskin University.
James has worked alongside world tour cyclists, Premier League footballers, and Olympic marathon runners on the implementation of altitude and heat training in their program, to optimise athletic performance at all levels.
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Sponsor Message
Want to find out more about altitude training for cyclists?
The Altitude Centre has provided altitude and related service since 2003. Their staff are trained in sports science and simulated altitude training. They are the people to speak to if you are planning any altitude adventures or looking to improve your cycling performance with altitude training programs.
Head to their website to find out more.
Exclusive offer for Epic Road Rides readers: use the code below and get 10% discount on any of the following services that you book direct with The Altitude Centre before 1 May 2026: physiological testing services, including VO2 max and blood lactate testing; heat and altitude acclimation services (excludes rentals); classes; consultations; coaching; or personal training.
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