AI Is Transforming Pro Cycling, Whether You Like It or Not. Here’s What It Means for You

April 29, 2026

Pro racing is on the precipice of an AI revolution, and you’d better get used to it. After years of dabbling at the margins, the way the world’s elite trains, fuels, and races is set to be transformed by both DIY programs and multinational data partners. And all of us weekend warriors will feel the trickle down, no matter where we land in the “robot vs human” debate.

Cycling was pushed a few inches closer to the AI precipice in the past week. Team Ineos confirmed a five-year partnership with AI giant Netcompany in a deal it hailed “one of the most significant technological and commercial partnerships in professional cycling.” The tech giant’s systems will – apparently – fast-track the team back to the top of the Tour de France by streamlining and optimizing its performance structures.

Only one week earlier, USA’s Olympic superstar Kristen Faulkner revealed she’s coded herself a system which “builds personal models of [her] physiology.” The Harvard computer science graduate correlated data points from 4,400 hours of training that span as far as watts and HRV to menstrual phase and blood markers. The result? A pinpoint program that brought her to a 20-minute power PB at the PanAM Championships. VELO