Team Sky looks for new connectivity as it prepares for Tour de France
Team Sky has partnered with Dejero for an in-vehicle mobile connectivity system using Dejero Gateway that allows the British cycling team to receive and deliver race-related information wherever they may be.
Throughout the UCI WorldTour, Dejero GateWay mobile connectivity is enabling Team Sky to monitor live TV feeds, track live environmental data and social media activity within its ‘follow’ vehicles in order to anticipate the route ahead of its cyclists, buying the team precious seconds to prepare support in case of crash, injury, punctures and other unforeseen events.
GateWay will be involved in the team’s performance in the upcoming Tour de France, which sets out from Noirmoutier-en-l’Île, a small island off the Atlantic coast of France on July 7. The world’s most prestigious bike race will see GateWay aid Team Sky to overcome the connectivity challenges posed by terrain, crowds and weather.
“The idea was to create an additional communications infrastructure to allow us to better share data from director sportiv to rider and vice versa,” said Dr. Scott Drawer, head of the Team Sky Performance Hub.
“In extreme environments, it is notoriously difficult to get connectivity to local TV or to access other forms of relevant information, and there are times and places where there can be a huge delay to accessing information due to a lack of connectivity. But, now that we have Dejero GateWay, and its ability to connect to multiple networks and devices, we have a much higher probability of creating a communications infrastructure that enables sharing of information as close to real-time as possible, while the vehicles are moving at speed — more reliably and quicker than our competitors.”
Team Sky and Dejero have been testing and developing the system in the racing environment since early this year and will continue throughout the duration of the UCI World Tour season, which consists of 37 road cycling events in Australia, China, Europe, Middle East and North America. The system is now permanently installed in one of the team’s key cars, which was used during the team’s recent Giro d’Italia win.
“Our GateWay solution gives Team Sky the assurance that they can receive and deliver race-related information in all conditions and all locations,” said Bogdan Frusina, founder, Dejero. “Increasing the reliability and consistency of a signal enables the team to make more informed and faster decisions, putting them ahead of the competition.”
The cyclists will travel through the mainland of France for three weeks competing over cobbles, dirt roads, high mountains, as well as a 31 km hilly time trial through the Pyrenees on the penultimate day. The finish line will be at the Champs-Élysées in Paris on July 29.