In 2025, Soudal-QuickStep and Tudor Pro Cycling announced partnerships with UK company Hytro, signalling that blood flow restriction (BFR) training – long used in rehabilitation rooms – has officially entered the WorldTour conversation. But what exactly is the rationale behind compression apparel that’s been cranked up to 11? Is it really the perfect all-rounder that delivers benefits not only when overcoming injury, but also in search of stronger performance and faster recovery? And will it benefit amateurs as well as the likes of Tim Merlier and Julian Alaphilippe?
No restricting BFR’s growth
2025 has been a pivotal year for Hytro. They’re now partnering with over 300 elite teams, spanning football, rugby, NFL, NBA, Formula One, athletics and, of course, cycling. Beyond sport, Hytro wearables are being tested by NASA and SpaceX as part of research into maintaining muscle and bone health in zero gravity.
Hytro is the brainchild of Dr Warren Bradley, who trained at Liverpool John Moores University, England, which is fast becoming an exercise physiology hotbed for cycling practitioners.
Bradley came across the idea of blood flow restriction (BFR) training when working in rugby and football, as the technique has been used for decades, albeit ostensibly when an athlete is returning from injury. But, he says, teams were using expensive and impractical cuffs (which we’ll elaborate on shortly). He also discovered that BFR’s benefits stretched to performance and recovery, and set about designing the first commercially approved BFR wearable.
“The idea is pretty simple,” Bradley explains. “We’ve integrated BFR technology into shorts and t-shirts. Each features a strap that offers different levels of restriction. They’re easy to use and, unlike cuffs, can be used without supervision. Which is one reason why an increasing amount of individuals and teams are using them.”
And using them for myriad uses, from warming up, to travel and even in ice baths. “But in cycling, we’ve spent time with Tudor and Soudal-QuickStep and can see that one of their main uses is recovery straight after a race,” says Bradley. “That’s especially true during a multi-stage event like the Tour de France, where you’re aiming to be at your optimum day after day.
“We know recovery is impacted by a rider’s schedule after a stage, what with media and transfer commitments. With these shorts, you simply slip into them, conduct your interviews, return to the team bus and…
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