Deal to ‘revolutionize’ how races are covered: Velon

If feeling like you’re part of a Tour peloton, not just watching one, is what gets your excitement level jumping when you’re watching the action of a cycling race, a deal brokered by a major pro organization may be just the news you’ve been waiting to hear.

As Reuters recently reported, Velon—a commercial partnership of 11 World Tour squads—has announced a “game-changing” deal that may transform the way bike races are covered.

Essentially, the method Velon has developed, as part of a 10-year partnership with Infront Sports & Media, will drop viewers directly into the performance manager’s seat, so to speak. Along with an on-board point of view, which Velon explored at the 2015 Abu Dhabi Tour, viewers will also be fed the athletes’ performance data as they watch: the riders’ power output, pedaling RPMs, and even VAM, or average ascent speed. It’s information that was previously restricted to team staff for review, but which riders like Chris Froome, notably, have made available with greater transparency to allay concerns about doping.

As such, with armchair cycling spectators seeing the hard numbers on attacks and climbs displayed on-screen, the viewing experience will be a dynamic, detailed one. That experience, Velon says, will “revolutionize” the way that pro cycling competitions are covered live—and the way the sport itself engages with fans and observers.

“The first phase of the partnership,” Velon said, in a statement published to velon.cc, “will enable live race data to revolutionise the fan experience.” The data would be fed though different streams, although which data will be made public, Velon noted, would be determined through consulting competing teams, organizers and the UCI. In the long run, though, it was noted that the integrating of ride and performance data with live race coverage would be a step towards a standardized approach to disclosing performance data.

“Riders really want to get their data out as it aids transparency and believability in their abilities and accomplishments,”” Velon said. “But we filly understand the need for race and rider sensitivity to make sure neither are compromised.”

But as Velon officials said, the most immediate benefit will be for cycling fans.

“Just imagine how great it will be for fans to see the performance of the riders as they follow races on their screens or see them at the end of the race. Cycling fans will be able to better engage with the riders and get a much better experience, said CEO Graham Bartlett.