New tech for the Tour de France

Ford Focus RS Option Pack

To celebrate signing a new two-year partnership with Ford, the motor company have developed a special version of the new Focus RS Option Pack for the 2017 Tour de France. 

As well as a brand new livery matching the team’s limited edition white jerseys, the freshly kitted-out Focus RS will act as a time trial and recon vehicle for the Tour, making its debut at the ITT on July 1 in Dusseldorf.

The handling of the Focus RS will be essential for following the riders, who achieve speeds of up to 70 km/h as they negotiate the 14-kilometre time trial course. During race stages, it will be the daily recon car, scouting in front of the riders to recce the road ahead. 

As with the Mondeo wagons used by Team Sky’s Sport Directors, the Focus RS has been modified to handle ever-changing race scenarios, road conditions and weather. 

They are also prepared to cope with more than 350 kilograms of added weight, including spare bikes and wheels, drink bottles, tools, and even a large coolbox. 

Team carers and VIPs use AWD‑equipped Ford S‑MAX sports activity vehicles and Edge sports utility vehicles. 

Today's Plan

The 2017 Tour de France is the first edition of the race in which Team Sky will be using Today’s Plan - the advanced analytics and training system for  Sport Directors, coaches and riders. 

Coaches are able to use the team’s bespoke data analytics platform to plan specific training sessions, delving back through years of historical data to compare race and stage efforts across multiple ride years.

 

In total there are 18 million kilometres of Team Sky rides stored on the system, which totals 382,000 hours of riding. On an average race day an impressive 226,000 points of data can be gathered per rider.

Tim Kerrison, Head of Performance Support, said: “Our preparation for a new season starts long before the previous one has even finished. We’re constantly looking at the lessons we can learn and the improvements we can make so we can aim to stay one step ahead.

 

“Today’s Plan were fully involved in our preparation for this season right from the outset. They work closely with the performance team and the riders to ensure we have the best tools available going into the season ahead.”

Watch more from Tim in the video below

Elite white Fly bottle

Elite’s Fly bottle is one of the lightest available, weighing in at just 45 grams and has received a brand new colour to match the team’s kit courtesy of Science in Sport.

Researched and developed by Elite for the 2017 season, the bottle uses a new extrusion process which allows its sides to be made thinner, which makes it not only lighter but easier to squeeze.

Perfect for energy conservation on those gruelling mountain stages!

These bottles are exclusively available to purchase on www.scienceinsport.com.