Role of gaze behaviors, body movements, and bicycle movements during cycling on a straight and narrow path

Abstract

Cycling requires the integration of gaze behaviors, body movements, and bicycle movements. However, whether these movements contribute to skilled cycling performance, such as cycling on straight and narrow paths are uncertain. The present study aimed to differentiate optokinetic nystagmus (OKN) from vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) that characterize the relationship between eye and head movements during cycling on straight and narrow path, and to identify gaze behaviors, body movements, and bicycle movements that contribute to cycling performance. Nineteen participants with no prior competitive experience cycled three times on a 12-cm wide path. The participants were asked to avoid deviating from the path as much as possible. The measured variables were gaze behavior in a sagittal plane, body movement, and bicycle movement. As a result, OKN was observed among 16 of the 19 participants. The cross-correlation between the eye and head did not show negative value, indicating the absence of VOR. These results suggest that the participants moved their eyes while keeping their heads stable during cycling on a straight and narrow path. In the results of the multiple regression analysis, the variables with small standard deviations (SD) of the steering angle and upward eye position were related to a lower deviation from the path. These results suggest that a small SD of the steering angle and directed gaze in the forward direction may contribute to skilled cycling.