Interactions between perceived exertion and thermal perception in the heat in endurance athletes

International audience; Introduction : The study aimed to investigate how a distortion of perceived exertion in the heat may affect, during a self-paced cycling exercise preceded by prior cognitive task, the thermal perception and the subsequent regulation of power output in high level athletes.Methods : Eleven endurance trained male athletes completed four experimental sessions including a 30-min fixed-RPE (15-Hard) cycling exercise in neutral (TMP-22 °C) and hot (HOT-37 °C) conditions, following a 60-min incongruent Stroop task (EXP) or passively watching documentary films (CON). Central and peripheral performances of the knee extensors were assessed before the cognitive task and after the exercise.Results : Although mental demand and effort were higher in EXP (P