The survey aims to investigate indoor cyclists' behavior with the stated weight of their avatars when using indoor cycling apps.
Dr. Bryce Dyer is a head in the Design & Engineering Department of Bournemouth University. Dr. Dyer publishes widely on the topic of performance enhancement in sports. He recently wrote a chapter on virtual cycling exploring the impact of technology, cheating, and performance enhancement in cycling esports for the 2022 book “Social Issues In Esports.”
Find the Virtual Cyclist Behavior Study:
The Weight of Your Avatar survey here!
Dr. Dyer is seeking the assistance of the virtual cycling community and explains,
“The background behind this project is my professional interest in how we use technology within competitive sports, be it prosthetic limbs, the latest carbon fiber bicycle, or super running shoes. Sometimes this technology helps us, sometimes hinders, and others can cause outright controversy.
Online cycling has surged in popularity so rapidly that scientists have yet to have time to thoroughly investigate any differences between exercise and its technology undertaken in a virtual world from those conducted traditionally in reality.
This project investigates indoor cyclists’ behavior with their avatars when using indoor cycling apps. For this particular study, we’re looking at the subject of an ecyclist’s weight and their views of the weight metric in competition.
It aims to seek your views on this subject and offers you a series of statements to consider. The survey itself should take you a couple of minutes to complete. It will keep your identity and views anonymously with the intent to publish the results in a peer-reviewed scientific study.”
Thanks in advance, Dr. Bryce Dyer.
Find the Virtual Cyclist Behavior Study: The Weight of Your Avatar survey here!
Have your opinion heard! Anonymously, that is!
Semi-retired after more than 20 years as the owner and director of a private Orthopedic Physical Therapy practice, Chris now enjoys the freedom to dedicate himself to his passions—virtual cycling and writing.
Driven to give back to the sport that has enriched his life with countless experiences and relationships, he founded a non-profit organization, TheDIRTDadFund. In the summer of 2022, he rode 3,900 miles from San Francisco to his “Gain Cave” on Long Island, New York, raising support for his charity.
His passion for cycling shines through in his writing, which has been featured in prominent publications like Cycling Weekly, Cycling News, road.cc, Zwift Insider, Endurance.biz, and Bicycling. In 2024, he was on-site in Abu Dhabi, covering the first live, in-person UCI Cycling Esports World Championship.
His contributions to cycling esports have not gone unnoticed, with his work cited in multiple research papers exploring this evolving discipline. He sits alongside esteemed esports scientists as a member of the Virtual Sports Research Network and contributes to groundbreaking research exploring the new frontier of virtual physical sport. Chris co-hosts The Virtual Velo Podcast, too.
