Can AI help Ineos dominate cycling once more?
The Ineos cycling team are hoping a new partnership with an AI firm can put them back on top of the sport - but how much benefit can the tech really have?
Ineos Grenadiers - formerly known as Team Sky - were the dominant team at cycling's most famous race, the Tour de France, during the 2010s. Chris Froome, Bradley Wiggins, Geraint Thomas and Egan Bernal all claimed the yellow jersey while leading a squad of riders that had the peloton at their mercy.
But in the past few years, they've begun to fade into the background. UAE Team Emirates, led by the astonishing talents of Tadej Pogacar, are now cycling's top squad, with Jonas Vingegaard's Visma-Lease a Bike as their main rivals.
Now, Ineos plan to put themselves back on top through a new partnership with Danish tech firm Netcompany. The rebranded Netcompany Ineos Cycling Team hope AI will help them discover new ways to win - but is tech really the solution to their problems? What more can it offer in a sport that's already one of the most analysed in the world?
BBC cycling journalist Matt Warwick talks to More than the Score's Maz Farookhi about how Ineos used Team GB's "marginal gains" strategy to reach the top of world cycling, and how they now plan to conquer the sport once again.
We're also joined by Steve McCaskill from the sports business media publication SportsPro, whose Global SportsTech Report analyses the ways AI is already being used by sports organisations all over the world. He explains some of the developments that are building on existing analysis technologies.
Every Monday to Friday, More than the Score tells stories beyond the scoreline from all over the world of sport. From Formula One to netball, MMA to figure skating, and Grand Slam tennis to Diamond League athletics. We've got interviews with extraordinary athletes like Tour de France winner Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, Winter Olympic champion Elana Meyers Taylor, trailblazing Samoan athlete Alex Rose and cricket superstar Smriti Mandhana, as well as the experts working behind the scenes, from football super-agents to the coaches keeping athletes in peak form. Plus, we've got the expertise of the BBC's top journalists, who share their insights from decades of covering sport at all levels.
And if you've got your own take on the stories we cover, we'd love to hear from you. Email morethanthescore@bbc.co.uk, or WhatsApp us on 0044 800 032 0470. You can find more information, along with our privacy notice, on our website: www.bbcworldservice.com/morethanthescore
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