–Update at the bottom– At Visma-Lease a Bike they will undoubtedly head towards the Tour start in Florence with a lot of trepidation. After all, leaders Jonas Vingegaard and Wout van Aert have only just been found fit to participate, in what was already a bad year for the Dutch team.
Covid-protocol
And the bad luck continues for the Tour for Visma-Lease a Bike. For example, Sepp Kuss had to forfeit because he had not recovered sufficiently from a corona infection. Partly because of this, the team immediately decides to take major action. They will (partly) again use the corona protocol of 2020 and 2021.
Riders and staff will always wear a mouth mask and use disinfectant gel more often. The team will also take a rapid test on everyone every day, and a PCR device has also been brought along to be able to take extensive tests. Riders with signs of a cold will be isolated immediately.
“But it won’t be easy to convince everyone of the need for this protocol. If you see how much we as a team invest in the Tour de France, it makes sense to try to prevent a corona infection from passing through the team,” the team told Wielerflits
Control room
In addition, Visma-Lease a Bike also came up with a new gadget. Namely a control room in the form of a van. “Team Visma | Lease a Bike proudly introduces its innovative Control Room, a minibus filled with state-of-the-art technology and equipment that will function as a central collection point for real-time data during the Tour de France,” the website states.
“The Control Room analyzes real-time publicly available data during the stages, such as TV images, weather information and race radio to optimize tactical decisions. Visma’s expertise in data collection and visualization, combined with BetCity’s goal to play smarter, creates a unique tool within cycling.”
Performance manager Mathieu Heijboer responds to this innovation. “Together with these partners, we are taking another step in further developing the cycling world. We are proud of that and we look forward to using the Control Room from the very first Tour de France stage in Florence.”
Update: UCI alerted
An innovative plan from Visma-Lease a Bike, but possibly a bit too innovative for the people of the UCI. They let it be known via their social channels that they will investigate the so-called ‘Control Room’ of the Dutch formation.
“We are currently verifying that the Visma-Lease a Bike project does not violate the established rules. Our priority is to preserve the integrity of the sport, guarantee sportsmanship and equal access to technology.” So to be continued…
UCI statement concerning Team Visma | Lease a Bike – pic.twitter.com/JNqll7tkGH
— UCI_media (@UCI_media) June 27, 2024
UPDATE: ASO weigert control room
Tour organizer ASO is apparently also not a fan of the innovative van. She reports that the control room is not allowed on the official grounds of the Tour de France. If Visma – Lease a Bike wants to use the gadget, it will have to do so remotely, outside the Tour grounds.
