Visma | Lease a Bike turns to AI in latest push for marginal gains
Team Visma | Lease a Bike is adding another layer to its innovation playbook. The Dutch WorldTour squad has entered into a new partnership with Mistral AI, widely regarded as Europe’s leading artificial intelligence company, in a move aimed squarely at performance and competitive advantage.
Mistral AI comes in as both a premium and technology partner. In practice, that means a collaboration on selected, performance driven initiatives where AI can help the team process information faster, support decision making, and sharpen analysis around racing and preparation. The French company’s branding will also be visible on the team’s jerseys and vehicles.
For CEO Richard Plugge, the partnership fits the way the team likes to operate. “We are very proud that an innovative company like Mistral AI is partnering with our team,” he said. “At the highest level of cycling, continuous improvement is essential. Mistral AI operates with the same mindset in its own field and I am convinced that by working together, we can raise each other to an even higher level.”
Visma | Lease a Bike has rarely waited for the peloton to catch up. The team has repeatedly experimented with new methods, in order to push the limits of performance. One of the best known examples is its Foodcoach app, designed to help riders monitor nutrition continuously and adjust intake around training and racing.
At the 2024 Tour de France, the team also introduced its Control Room, a remote set-up that allowed staff away from the race to send real time information back to the sports directors in the car, effectively giving them an extra layer of support beyond what they could see on the road.
It is in that context that AI becomes the next step rather than a sudden shift. Patrick Broe, the team’s Head of Strategy and a key figure in its analytical approach to racing, framed it as a necessity rather than a novelty. “In today’s high performance cycling, data is everywhere, and leveraging AI is essential to staying competitive,” Broe said.
Exactly what the first projects will look like has not been detailed, but it is clear the team is looking for new ways to stay competitive in a financial race that is getting tougher each season. Last week, it emerged that Visma | Lease a Bike are actively searching for a new title sponsor to help them keep up at the top of the WorldTour.
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