# Does gaze direction influence cycling effort?

## TL;DR

This study investigates whether where cyclists look affects their cycling effort, finding that gaze direction alone does not significantly influence performance.

## Contribution

The study introduces a novel experimental setup using VR to manipulate gaze direction and assess its impact on cycling effort.

## Key findings

- Gazing at proximal or distal areas did not significantly affect cycling effort.
- Peripheral vision may play a role in speed perception and cycling performance.
- Results contradict previous findings on visual field occlusions affecting cycling effort.

## Abstract

Cycling effort can be influenced by the speed of the optic flow to which individuals are exposed. The present study tested whether gazing toward proximal (e.g., the road in front) versus distal areas (e.g., the horizon ahead) would influence cycling effort. We expected that gazing toward proximal areas would generate a feeling of “momentum” and thereby increase efforts. Twenty-eight cyclists completed two 20-minute trials on their bicycle in a VR environment, aiming to outperform the power output they exerted during a baseline trial. Their gaze direction was guided through a virtual frame, either aimed at the road immediately in front of the cyclist (proximal) or at the horizon (distal), in counterbalanced order. A repeated measures ANCOVA, with baseline power as a covariate, showed no significant difference in exerted effort between the proximal and distal conditions, and no significant interaction effect between condition and baseline power. This finding is not in accordance with previous research, in which occlusions of proximal and distal areas of the visual field did influence cycling efforts. Taken together, the results suggest the importance of peripheral vision in speed perception, which may influence cycling effort.