News that will surprise almost no one: the Visma “control room” has been excluded from the Tour

The UCI and the Tour de France are not known for giving in to the will to innovate when it is imposed on them, and the latest in a long line of disappointments for teams that promise *ahem* “boundary thinking” is the banning of Visma-Lease a Bike’s “control room”.

The story began a few days ago, as the Tour de France circus descended on Florence. After the added disappointment of losing Sepp Kuss, who had already poorly defended his yellow jersey, Visma-Lease a Bike unveiled what they called their “Control Room,” a statement filled with predictable phrases like “cutting edge” and “the spirit of limitless thinking.” It’s essentially a van dressed in the same Renaissance-inspired pattern as the Tour de France jerseys, and which was designed to extract a certain amount of data while it was literally on the road—think of the blacked-out, neon-lit utility vans we’ve all seen in spy movies and thrillers, usually manned by an eccentric “technical analyst”…

However, shortly after the teams’ announcement, the UCI promised to open an investigation into the data truck, in order to verify precisely what data would be collected during the race. Indeed, while some information can be broadcast live, others can only be seen live by the rider, such as heart rate, body temperature, etc.

And now, as the first stage gets underway, the ASO (Amaury Sport Organisation) – organiser of the Tour – has banned access to the “Control Room” for the race.

The statement reads: “The Visma-Lease a Bike team ‘control room’ vehicle will not be permitted on the event premises and will therefore not carry vehicle accreditation.”

Although the Tour ban for the Visma van isn’t particularly surprising – remember Richie Porte’s Team Sky camper van for the 2015 Giro d’Italia? – what is curious is that the ASO took matters into its own hands before the UCI had the opportunity to follow up on its own investigation. And the governing body is yet to respond to the race organiser’s decision, so watch this space.

For now though, it turns out there are limits to what Visma is allowed to do. think TO DO.

Meanwhile, EF also announced the addition of a new vehicle to its stable, one they’re calling a “command center on four wheels.” Theirs is apparently not quite the same as the one offered by Visma-Lease a Bike, however. EF’s all-new Cadillac LYRIQ, the first electric vehicle to serve as race support, will be more of a good old-fashioned support van, while also serving as a “quiet refuge for strategy and planning, a lifeline for runners on the road.” It seems to be more about automotive technology than data, and the press release more about electrified marketing jargon than “boundless thinking.” Or at least that’s what it seems.

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