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Introduction: The utilization of bicycles for the purpose of express delivery has become a well-established component of the logistics infrastructure for goods and food delivery. In urban environments, these services have emerged as a prominent alternative to conventional delivery methods, such as cars or scooters. While this development is commendable from a climate perspective, it may impose an additional physiological load on the delivery personnel. However, this aspect remains under-studied. While studies have been conducted on related occupational groups, such as bicycle couriers and letter carriers, these have been limited to parameters such as heart rate, indirectly determined metabolic equivalents, or estimated energy expenditure. However, the sport scientific literature offers a wealth of detailed measurement methodologies and loading parameters that can be applied to this growing occupational group. For instance, physiological parameters such as mechanical power output and the related mechanical work can be measured directly and continuously while cycling and therefore be assessed by occupational assessment methods. The objectives of this study are:

1. to create a physiological loading profile of this occupational group, and
2. to evaluate the possible relief measure using pedelecs instead of conventional bicycles.

Methods: 12 subjects (7 group pedelecs (PED), 5 group bicycles (BIC)) were observed for a mean duration of 2 h while performing their daily work. Physiological data, including heart rate and mechanical power output, were continuously recorded. In addition, general work factors like average riding speed, distance, altitude, and handled load weights were recorded. Furthermore, all subjects were accompanied by a reference person on a conventional bicycle (REF) to quantify the potential relief effect of pedelec usage in the sense of a direct A/B comparison between REF and PED under equal environmental factors.

Results: The energy expenditure extrapolated to an eight-hour shift was 6231 ± 3274 kJ for group BIC and 2371 ± 2713 kJ for group PED. The average heart rate was 133 ± 15 bpm for group BIC and 119 ± 20 bpm for group PED. The mean reduction in energy expenditure from PED to dependent REF rides was 4377 ± 2710 kJ (eight-hour shift).

Discussion: According to the assessment methods outlined by Lehmann (1962), the energy expenditure for group BIC could be classified as moderately heavy workload, while for group PED, it could be designated as light workload. Furthermore, the utilization of PED led to a significant reduction in energy expenditure, with a mean value of 65% (4377 ± 2710 kJ) in comparison to simultaneously conducted reference rides on a conventional bicycle (REF).

Conclusion: The main study findings are: 1) occupational assessment parameters can be effectively obtained from sport scientific technologies like power meters and wearable devices and therefore be used for a broader understanding of the physiological loading experienced by express delivery service personnel. 2) the utilisation of pedelecs has been demonstrated to efficaciously reduce workload for this occupational group. This effect may be particularly pronounced in work environments characterised by hilly or mountainous terrain.