WORLD
Israeli hi-tech enlisted to help Israel’s cycling team prepare for Tour de France
Baku, January 30, AZERTAC
The Israel Start-Up Nation (ISN) professional cycling team met with eight Israeli start-up companies that presented their technology and innovations meant to help the team better prepare, monitor and optimize performance for its cyclists, according to TPS agency.
The ISN team, the first Israeli team to participate in the prestigious Tour de France, comprises 30 professional cyclists from 16 countries.
The start-ups can improve their products while the cycling team increases its opportunity to perform to the highest level.
The event took place at the Tel Aviv offices of Start-Up Nation Central (SNC), a non-profit organization working to promote the Israeli high-tech industry.
SNC and the Israeli team have reached a partnership agreement under which the team will carry the name “Israel Start-up Nation” in the world’s most important racing circuit – the WorldTour.
A specialized team from SNC studied the needs of the riders and coaches, before filtering the Israeli start-ups which can deliver innovative and creative solutions for the cycling team. These start-ups then presented technology that can facilitate advanced monitoring of physiology, training load, nutrition and sleep, along with many other factors.
“It was very impressive,” said ISN Performance Director Paulo Saldanha, who is responsible for the critical area of maximizing the capabilities of the team’s cyclists. “I felt like a kid in a candy store, I could taste anything I wanted.”
Israeli-Canadian philanthropist Sylvan Adams, co-owner of the ISN team, expressed satisfaction with the results.
“Israel has the largest number of start-ups per capita of any country in the world, so it is entirely fitting that our principal sponsor is Start-Up Nation Central,” Adams said. “This will give our Israel Start-Up Nation team access to cutting-edge technologies, a secret weapon of sorts as we embark on our first season in the WorldTour. I can’t wait to see what Israeli innovation will produce.”
The 2020 season will be the first time an Israeli team will compete in cycling’s most prestigious race, the Tour de France, which is the world’s third most-watched sports event after the Summer Olympic Games and the soccer World Cup, and an excellent opportunity to present Israeli innovation to the billions who watch the race all over the world.