In a pre-race team meeting, the best pro team directeurs sportifs will explain the intricacies of the courses, they know where the peloton will shatter, where the winning attacks will be placed and which riders will be contenders. They will rarely be wrong. Their knowledge, which becomes innate, will be based on years of experience. They will have modelled race outcomes in their heads, they will know when the gradient of a climb will catch the peloton off guard, on what side of the road the cobbles are smoother, and they will know which riders are struggling or poised to win based on their past performances on similar courses.
The small details that can change everything
The DS will see, and understand, the countless variables that determine outcomes that will go unnoticed to others. The team directeurs who have profound tactical acumen are few. As artificial intelligence advances, their jobs, and their knowledge, will be enhanced. That will influence race speeds and outcomes. Ultimately, machine learning will eclipse the directeur’s lifetime of experience. Their big asset to a team in the future will be their rapport with the riders and their ability to synthesize the data to motivate, galvanize and mobilize the team.
As on the battlefield, a chess match, or football game, AI is revolutionizing most facets of life. Professional cycling is no exception. The integration of AI into competitive cycling has the potential to significantly influence the outcome of tactical decision-making. From optimizing race strategies to enhancing rider performance, AI will transform how teams approach the sport. By analyzing large sets of data, computers will find blind spots in the current approach to race tactics, which will lead to novel tactics. It may lead to less formulaic and predictable racing that is more interesting to the spectator.
Catching up with tech
Cycling has historically been a sport which is slow to adapt to post-race tactical analysis. Racers and staff use Veloviewer and other models to preview courses. However, in comparison to field games, like football, baseball or soccer, where every play is analyzed and dissected, cycling lags behind. VeloViewer gives additional insights, visuals and detailed analysis of the parcours after connecting to Strava.
Watch Steve Bauer in team car during Derek Gee’s big Tour breakaway
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