How Artificial Intelligence Will Change the World of Cycling
How can artificial intelligence have a positive impact on cycling? This was discussed at the Future Summit, a pre-inaugural event dedicated to B2B of the recent FSA Bike Festival Riva del Garda, one of the European reference happenings of mountain biking that for 31 years has represented the official appointment of the opening of the fat tire season.
The roundtable, moderated by German sports journalist Petra Bindl, hosted a panel of speakers from the AI sector: Claudius Zick, former Amazon manager, Hannes Neupert, mobility specialist, e-bike pioneer and president of ExtraEnergy eV (one of the most recognized non-profit organizations worldwide for information, consumer protection and the promotion of light electric vehicles), Andrea Ziliani, content creator and bike tester and Ciro Malacarne, mechatronics engineer specialized in additive manufacturing, the industrial process that creates objects, layer by layer, starting from 3D models.
From training programs to Formula 1, the presence of AI in sports
The fields of application of artificial intelligence in sports are many. Speaking of performance, for example, AI is one of the new frontiers of modern training. Just think of the use that can be made of the athlete's personal data (heart rate, power, cadence, hydration, hours of sleep, etc.) obtained from a very simple sports watch and analyzed closely to monitor parameters such as rest, daily stress and approach to the target race, and build specific training plans that include all these factors that are fundamental for the positive or negative outcome of a performance.
Artificial intelligence has been around in cycling for a couple of years now. Teams like Ineos Grenadiers, for example, use it to do aerodynamic tests and race course predictions. Or, as in the case of mathematician Vittoria Bussi (who a few days ago, in Mexico, set a new hour record by breaking the 50 km barrier), to explore its use in managing complex data that cannot be processed with classic statistical models. But the list of sports that have started using AI also includes NBA basketball, which draws innovative solutions from it to optimize ball throwing techniques and, above all, prevent injuries. And Formula 1 and sailing are also included, among the most complex and technologically advanced sports disciplines, where artificial intelligence is gaining an increasingly significant role in the evolution of the performance of single-seaters and boats and in the analysis of data and race strategies.
AI in Cycling, from Product Development to Safety
The use of artificial intelligence in cycling could soon also involve the development of production lines: «AI can be used from the point of view of product development, even if at the moment the impact is very limited. However, I think it is something that can change quickly. I believe that in a couple of years there will be no new product on the market that has not used AI to optimize its development, shorten it and obtain better results», said Hannes Neupert during the debate at the Future Summit, also underlining the importance and possible scenarios on the topic of safety which, however, at this stage, still remain top secret: «Currently many companies are working on pre-development projects that are obviously secret, but certainly the safety of cyclists and the prevention of accidents is one of those topics that could have a great evolution with artificial intelligence».
And then there is the simpler but no less important topic of communication. In fact, bike companies work a lot with Asia. Thinking about working relationships where Europe and the Asian continent communicate better thanks to the help of artificial intelligence could make everything much simpler. An example of this “linguistic factor” was given to the audience at the Future Summit who, in line with the theme of the round table, had access to a simultaneous translation entirely created by artificial intelligence. In fact, through a QR code and a web App, all participants were able to listen to the translation in their own language in headphones (and in real time) or read it transcribed on the screen of their mobile device.
A sports tourism that began in the 90s
The Bike Festival Riva del Garda 2025 welcomed over 80,000 visitors in four days (from 1 to 4 May) and more than 2,500 bikers involved in the various races on the programme. Numbers that confirmed how the event born in the mid-90s from a vision, has become a point of reference in recent years also for sports tourism. Stefano Barbieri, an entrepreneur from Mantua who, together with his wife, owns a historic ice cream shop a stone's throw from the lake in Riva del Garda, told Il Sole 24 Ore: «The history of Riva del Garda is inextricably linked to sailing, but the Bike Festival has in a certain sense replaced sports like windsurfing in terms of importance. In 1994, during the first edition, I ran a spaghetti shop. I saw a group of bikers arriving looking for something to eat but they didn't want sandwiches or desserts. I offered them spaghetti and lasagna. They were enthusiastic. Here today no one is surprised if at 11:30 pm the streets are deserted, because everyone knows that the next day, from 7 am, people will already be up and running to pedal, go climbing in Arco or go trekking along one of the many paths of Garda Trentino. The Bike Festival has profoundly changed the concept of sports tourism in Alto Garda. Those who participate, then return also in the months of June, July and August».
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