10 things you need to know about our new R&D performance cell

This is a new unit and department created this year within the DECATHLON AG2R LA MONDIALE team. It has always been a key focus for the team, but this year it has become more structured. A thoughtful and well-considered investment to improve performance. Behind the Innovation and Technical Support Division Technical Support two men working behind the scenes: Paul Barratt, Director of Innovation and Technical Support, and Mathias Ribeiro Da Cruz, Innovation and Technical Support Engineer.

The main role of this department is to act as a permanent link between technical partners and performance stakeholders, sports management, and riders. “We don't do anything ourselves, in the sense that we don't touch the equipment. However, we approach partners with ideas because we know where performance needs to be. And that's the key," adds Paul. So we have to go to our partners with ideas:

• that can be deduced directly from computers and analyzed data
• which can come directly from the field following races and/or training courses 
• which can be suggested by riders, depending on their needs, desires, and how they feel on the bike 

These ideas sometimes come directly from our partners, who also have their own research and innovation units to improve their products. The aim is to challenge ourselves and always try to improve what already exists: "Relations with our technical partners Van Rysel and SwissSide are really very good, we are aligned with our vision of performance and this allows us to aim far and high." describes Mathias.

The real novelty with the arrival of Van Rysel joined the team in 2024 is that our riders equipped with the same partner from head to toe: from gloves to helmets to bikes. "It's a huge advantage because when we're looking to improve a product, we don't think about it individually with the partner, but holistically. This is essential because each element interacts with the others," explains Mathias. This facilitates discussions about products and interactions between all stakeholders.

riders therefore also riders a role to play, even if "we don't expect riders to riders to us for ideas," says Paul. This was the case, for example, with Stefan Bissegger, a time trial specialist, when he joined the team. "We met with him beforehand to offer him the best possible equipment, we had several discussions and did numerous tests."" A few exchanges took place to work on customized aerobars adapted for Stefan. 

Some riders look at the data and understand the choices made, while others are more willing to let our engineers take the lead. riders involvement riders also very important when we have prototypes to offer them: their feedback is essential for moving in the right direction.

Once the idea has emerged and our research and innovation department has processed it, we then have to try to implement it in practice with the help of our technical partners, and the prototype production phase is not the easiest part. We have to manage, within a set timeframe, to produce a prototype that can be tested and adjusted for our riders, and that meets demand. "Protototyping is a long and technical process, so you have to be vigilant," says Mathias. It might seem that a prototype is simply a "test" object, but it is much more than that. Without prototypes, there could be no equipment adapted to the needs of riders. 

Once the prototype has been created, it is then necessary to organize a test session in a velodrome and/or wind tunnel. wind tunnel. Sessions are held regularly, especially at the start of the season, but they can also take place during training courses or specific sessions. A recent example was the wind tunnel test of a new Van Rysel helmet..

The staff works closely with our partner SwissSide, which has developed an all-in-one platform that allows Paul and Mathias to analyze the race beforehand. "The platform allows us to simulate all the races with elevation changes, mileage, weather conditions, etc. We enter the rider power output rider which allows us to choose the best equipment." This means that everything is calculated down to the last millimeter for each day of the race:

• choice of bike (RCR-F and RCR) 
• wheel selection 
• tire selection 
• helmet selection 
• and many other performance-enhancing details 

All these equipment recommendations are then forwarded to the sports management team. Each choice can also be adapted according to the race strategy: if it is a stage race and a sprinter is going to spend several hours in the gruppetto, we will not offer him the same technical equipment and gear as a rider general classification, a mountain teammate, or a rider to break away.

Once the finish line has been crossed, nothing is left to chance when it comes to recovering the riders technical equipment: punctures, weather conditions, and falls are recorded and stored on the IPOGEE platform, along with all the associated equipment, from head to toe. It is difficult to draw conclusions after just a few races, but over time, these collected elements will make it possible to deduce certain performance characteristics of the equipment, thanks to all these observations. The aim is to build up a stock of quantified information on all the races and training sessions carried out, in order to find commonalities and make use of all this data.

Thanks to the SwissSide platform and data analysis, Mathias and Paul are able to simulate the watts a rider produce during a race, allowing them to adapt their race strategy, particularly in time trials. This makes it possible, for example, to simulate different race configurations: a fast start at the beginning of the time trial, climbing the hill at full speed, or, on the contrary, managing the hill to make a big comeback... small strategic details that can change the game. This information is then passed on to the sports management team, which, with all this data at its disposal, makes strategic decisions for the rider. 

This department ultimately works with all of the team's departments: mechanics, sports management, and bike fitting with Alexandre Pacot, the coach. "Our role is to ensure that the rider position rider optimized in terms of biomechanics and aerodynamics," says Paul. The position is not the same when you change bikes, but also when you change disciplines (road or time trial). When testing new equipment, it is therefore important to stay within the optimal physiological data for the rider position.

And what about tomorrow? Once all these available figures have been exploited, what's next? "You can always improve and optimize everything, you just need to have the idea, it's a never-ending circle", says Mathias.says Mathias. And to get ideas, you can look at what's being done in other sports, such as triathlon, where the problems of outdoor endurance sports are similar. But above all, we can count on the tripartite nature of this cluster. In the months and years to come, for example, we plan to study the impact of fabrics on aerodynamics and performance in hot weather. What is the optimum fabric for different temperatures? The Van Rysel experts are trying to answer so many questions on the subject of heat. See you in a few days' time for the rest of the study!

The main and common objective of this strategy is of course to optimize performance as much as possible, thanks to the data collected, but also thanks to new projects, carried out hand in hand with our partners.