Visma – Lease a Bike for a mobile ‘control room’ at Tour

There will be another team car at the Tour de France for Visma – Lease a Bike, but this one will be unlike anything we’ve seen before in cycling. The Dutch powerhouse will have a mobile ‘control room’ to help staff analyse the race and make real-time decisions.

The van is a collaboration between title sponsor Visma, an enterprise software company, and BetCity, a Dutch online sports betting provider. It uses modern technology to analyze real-time data during the stages, which is then relayed to the team cars in the caravan. That data includes TV images, weather information and race radio to optimize racing decisions. Visma’s data collection and visualization, together with BetCity’s ‘insights’, will provide an additional resource for staff during the race.

A van with technology to help guide the team

The high-tech van with advanced software will be available from phase 1 on Saturday. Thanks to the mobile unit, the team can remain fully involved in the race and work seamlessly with the performance team, according to head of performance Mathieu Heijboer.

Hinault about Vingegaard: ‘If he wins, I don’t understand it’

“We are very pleased that we have been able to develop the Control Room together with our innovative partners. This will allow us to collect and analyze even more live data and get a better overview of the race,” he said. This allows us to support the coaches in the car and make the best possible tactical decisions faster.”

The Visma – LAB team recently announced that defending champion Jonas Vingegaard will be there to race, after months of speculation. Although his fitness is said to be back, it is unclear whether this is enough to win. He was unable to ride any of the pre-Tour lead-up races, but was training with some big rides in the French Alps in June.

Does Visma win?

The software company Visma is excited to offer its expertise to the team – to be more than just a name on the shirt.

“We are pleased to provide ongoing software expertise through the Control Room to help Team Visma – Lease a Bike do their best,” said Merete Hverven, CEO of Visma. Together we break new ground in top-level cycling. It demonstrates the power of digital solutions to support decision making and improve performance. Not only for business and society, but also in the sports world.”

Check out the brain on wheels below.