Anna Barrero holds a PhD in sports physiology, a master's degree in sports and health, a degree in sport and exercise science, and a degree in physical education. Recently, she has been working with cystic fibrosis patients in Limoges, France, to assess their physical activity levels and identify barriers and promoters of physical activity. Previously, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Rennes, France, where she investigated cardiac fatigue associated with cycling endurance events such as the Tour de France. Notably, she rode the Tour herself for two consecutive years, one day ahead of the professional men, alongside other women, to promote women's cycling and advocate for equality in the sport.
While she is currently focused on physical activity for health, her background is in sports physiology. She completed her international PhD between the University of Barcelona (Spain) and Indiana University (United States), where she assessed the physiological demands, muscle damage, and race performance of triathletes in ultra-endurance events. During her PhD studies, she also conducted research at Brunel University (United Kingdom), where she was involved in projects investigating the mechanisms of muscle blood flow control with heating and cooling of human limbs.
Anna competed as an elite-level triathlete until 2014, participating in the Spanish Winter Championships. Today, her adventurous spirit remains undiminished, and she can be seen not only cycling but also hiking, kayaking, mountain climbing, or sleeping in igloos and on mountain peaks.