GAUGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

Artificial intelligence can scan through past workouts far quicker than we can manually, but does that mean it knows best what to do next? Joe Laverick pits apps against instinct

Will you live to see a Tour de France decided by artificial intelligence? What if I told you that you might have already? Everyone is talking about AI and whether it is threatening to take over the world, but what exactly is it? In the most basic terms, it’s computer software that is able to learn patterns from information and then perform tasks that previously required human intelligence. Already it is outperforming humans in a multitude of tasks. But what about its potential in cycling? Can we trust AI to set our training? In other words, is it able to learn the patterns of your body better than you or your coach?

Though still in its infancy, AI is already infiltrating the cycling world. It is used for analysing performance data, predicting future trends, and has even helped develop a yellow-jersey-winning nutrition strategy. Thanks to its ability to rifle through so much data, AI has the capacity to detect trends in training for example, the correlations between sessions and fitness gains. Two early movers, the apps Spoked and Athletica, have been using AI for almost a decade.

Using Al to analyse your training is, first and foremost, much cheaper than hiring a human coach.

COACH VS APP

Spoked - AKA "the AI cycling coach" was founded by former JLT-Condor rider Richard Lang in 2016. His ambitious goal was to build an AI coach that would be as good as having a flesh-and-blood coach and physiologist at your disposal at any time of day. Once the user has entered their athletic history and achievement goals, the app 'talks' to other platforms, such as Strava and TrainingPeaks, and within minutes produces a weekly training plan.