The 'Control Room' - Team Visma | Lease a Bike's reveal innovative new weapon in search of Tour de France win

It can be said that in the 2010's INEOS Grenadiers popularized the term 'marginal gains' but the truth is that, although teams don't use that term anymore, the technological evolution in cycling has not stopped. Team Visma | Lease a Bike have created a 'control room' for the Tour de France which looks to completely changed how teams communicate and plan tactics everyday.

The control room is in fact a van, a vehicle which will have Visma staff inside during the stages of the Tour de France - and possibly other races. It is not something new in sports, and resembles methods used in Formula 1 where all the information is available in the hands of team staff and management; which is then perfectly equipped to inform the pilots in real-time of all relevant information. Something in which cycling is still far behind.

The use of radios is often efficient but at times riders lose radio connection and need communication with their teammates or to the car directly to understand what is happening in the race. But Visma's new tool looks to solve a more deep problem which is the lack of correct information during the races themselves. DS and team staff in the race convoy is equipped with the race radio, a radio with their own riders and often a screen in which they can follow the race - alongside more information, which depends on the team. But the screen in which they follow the race is delayed, even if by a few seconds, and when driving it is hard for the DS to properly analyze and pay attention to the race. Even with other members in the car, it is a difficult situation to access, and Visma's plan is to have a team analyzing the race in real time at all moments, to communicate with the team cars and make all the best decisions.

"The Control Room is a high-tech van, equipped with advanced software, making its debut during the Tour de France. With this mobile unit, the team can immerse itself directly in the race, ensuring perfect coordination with other members of the performance team," the team wrote in their website. "Our Control Room collects and analyses crucial real-time data such as live TV footage, weather forecasts, and race radio. This enables us to support the coaches in the car, and help them make the best possible tactical decisions faster."

The short video shared by the team gave a small insight into the inside of the vehicle, in which there will be live feed of the race, analysis of profiles, results, the race route detailed to the smallest detail, and of course communication equipment to be on the line with the team at all times.

"This innovation would not have been possible without the support of our main sponsor, Visma, a pioneer in business software, and their invaluable expertise in data collection and visualization. BetCity, a Dutch provider of online sportsbetting, has also been a great support throughout the realization process."