Competitive Cyclists Needed for Research Study

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Max_Bath

New Member
Hi everyone,

I hope I am allowed to post on here... As you can imagine, recruiting participants during this pandemic is proving very difficult so I thought I would try recruiting on cycling forums such as this to see if I can get any better luck!

I am recruiting competitive cyclists (and runners/swimmers) for a qualitative research study that I am conducting as part of my PhD. The study aims to explore athletes' experiences leading up to upper respiratory tract infection (common cold) symptoms, and the direct/indirect impact such symptoms may have had on your sporting performance.

As a participant, all you will need to do is attend a one-off interview via video call with myself - these typically last between 40-60 minutes. To be eligible, you need to be competing at a regional or higher level and have experienced common cold symptoms (e.g., sore throat, runny/blocked nose, coughing, sneezing) on two or more consecutive days in the past month. However, if you have not experienced such symptoms but are still interested in taking part and meet the other inclusion criteria, please let me know as you may experience these symptoms at a later date and we can keep in touch regarding this.

This research study will provide you with a good insight into how research is conducted at a University and give you a good opportunity to reflect on your experiences - previous participants have found this surprisingly helpful! Please let me know if you are interested in taking part by contacting me: M.Simms@bath.ac.uk

Thanks,

Max
 

Sharky

Guru
Location
Kent
Sounds like an interesting research project. I can quickly rule myself out of your survey as certainly not competitive at regional level, although I have raced against Bradley Wiggins or to be more accurate, was in an evening 10 which he decided to ride.

It's the winter season for all competitive cycling in the UK, except for cyclo cross or you could target down under riders. There are a few forum members from Australia etc.

One observation to make is that my other sport is table tennis. Again only local leagues, but I have in the past forced myself to play when under the weather from coughs and colds etc. Not expecting to win, my mental attitude was completely different and on the night, won all three matches, against players I would normally struggle against.

Good luck with your research and please share your findings back on here.
 
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Max_Bath

New Member
Hi Sharky,

Thank you for taking the time to read my post, much appreciated and glad to hear your claim to fame racing against Wiggins! I will be sure to check out other forums. As for your table tennis example, it really is amazing how subtle changes in your mindset can have such a big impact on performance. In fact, as part of the experiences we explore in the study, we do look at how symptoms impact athletes mentally as well as get an insight into their mindset leading up to the illness the experienced.
 
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