This time, researchers at Nagoya University attempted to quantify the "group order" that appears in these aspects of cycling, using "point race," which is one of the cycling competitions, as a theme. In the "point race", points are given according to the order of arrival of the sprints for each default lap, and the ranking is determined by the accumulation of points. ..Principal component analysis was used to quantify the positioning of these athletes in each lap and to extract their characteristics. It was possible to divide the group order into four states: "a group that has grown", "a group that has grown", "a group that has separated", and "a state in which the escape group is separated from the dense main group".

　Subsequently, the 10 laps between the sprints were divided into four, and the state transition probabilities in each section were analyzed. The tendency to become was found.In other words, this suggests that not only the behavior immediately before the sprint but also the positioning when the population separates in the latter half of the interval is important.

　In this way, the cooperative behavior that occurs in a selfish environment and the cycling competition that can verify the interaction between individual behavior and the overall phenomenon of the group also contributes to the elucidation of human sociality. It can be said that it is a unique research subject that may be used.

Paper information:[European Journal of Sports Science] State transitions among groups of cyclists in cycling points races