Research Symposium

BIO

Reagan Panico is a second year student at Florida State University pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Professions through the Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences Program in the College of Medicine. She is also completing the Leadership Studies Certificate through the Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences. Reagan has consistently earned academic honors during her first two years, including being named to the President’s List for three consecutive semesters and receiving Florida State University’s Student Foundation 21 Under 21 Award. Reagan conducts research under the mentorship of Dr. Patrick Merle in the College of Communication and Information alongside another UROP student, Abbie Sargent. Their project examines how data transparency in professional cycling influences perceptions of trust, credibility, and fairness among athletes, teams, media, and fans. Through interviews with individuals involved in the sport, their research explores how publicly shared performance data shapes narratives surrounding athlete performance and integrity. In addition to her research, Reagan serves as Vice President of Operations for the Iota Chapter of Alpha Delta Pi, and as Correspondent and founding board member of the Lambda Chapter of Kappa Gamma Delta, Pre-Health Sorority. She is also involved in Dance Marathon as a Family Relations Team Captain and is a member of the Garnet and Gold Key Honor Society. After graduation, Reagan plans to attend dental school and pursue a career in dentistry, with the long term goal of improving access to oral healthcare in underserved communities.

Strava, Strategy, and Skepticism

Abstract

Professional cycling has a long history of skepticism surrounding performance, honesty, and credibility, making transparency an ongoing point of tension within the sport. As digital platforms such as Strava become more visible to fans, media, and sponsors, athletes’ choices about what performance and training data to share function as a form of communication that can influence public trust. This study examines how transparent professional cyclists are with their Strava data and what that transparency reveals about honesty and trust in professional cycling. Using a mixed qualitative approach, the research combines semi structured interviews with professional cyclists, coaches, and media members, alongside an analysis of Strava activity from the top 100 professional cyclists based on UCI rankings as of September 2025. Preliminary findings suggest a clear divide between athlete and media perspectives, with many cyclists and coaches expressing hesitation toward full transparency due to competitive concerns, while journalists generally view increased data sharing as a way to build credibility within the sport. These results indicate that transparency is shaped more by role and incentives than by a shared definition of honesty. The findings further suggest that Strava functions not only as a performance tracking tool, but also as a communication platform that can shape public perception, even when athletes are not intentionally using it for that purpose. Understanding this disconnect has important implications for how trust is built or undermined in modern professional sport and may inform future conversations around athlete privacy, competitive integrity, and data transparency.

Keywords: Trust, Data Transparency, Professional Cycling, Qualitative Interviews