Visual Information Acquisition, Decision-making, Pacing and Performance during Time Trial Cycling

Pacing research attempts to explain how effort varies during athletic events to produce the best performance without premature fatigue. Little is understood about the cognitive processes leading to pacing decisions and behaviour. The aim of this thesis was to measure cyclists’ visual behaviour, using eye-trackers, to determine information acquisition patterns during cycling time trials (TT). The first study found experts looked at primary information longer than novices during 10 mile TTs, with speed being the primary information source for experts, and distance was the primary information source for novices. A follow-up study confirmed that speed was the preferred source of information for experienced cyclists, and that pacing and performance decrements were observed when removing preferred information sources. In a third experiment, it was found that limiting the availability of preferred information to 15 sec every 10% and 20% of a 5 km TT, had no effect on performance compared to continuously available preferred information. In a final study an attempt was made to measure cyclists’ visual behaviour during a road time trial because the laboratory studies are limited by ignoring balance, navigation and collision avoidance demands on visual attention. It was found that cyclists were looking at the road for an average of above 50% of over all time. Cyclists spent approximately 20% of the overall time seeking performance information, in which 7/10 chose speed as the primary information. It is concluded that difference in information acquisition processes exist between novice and expert cyclists with experts affording more attention to speed and novice to distance. Furthermore, performance remains relatively unaffected by limiting the availability of preferred feedback information, which may be important so that during road-based TT’s, the capacity to attend to balance, navigation and collision-avoidance cues exist.