GADGET KNOWS BEST?

AI has already infiltrated the pro peloton - but can it help all of us train more effectively? India Paine investigates

- India Paine

You wake up groggy after a late night, pick up your phone and check the day’s training. Instead of hard threshold efforts, your app reveals the plan has changed to an easy spin. It knows your sleep was poor, your stress levels are high, and your recovery suboptimal. The decision seems logical, but it wasn’t made by a human being - it was made by Hugo, HumanGO’s digital coach, powered by artificial intelligence.

Al is already big business in sport and is projected to be worth £27bn by 2030. At the elite level, it’s fully embraced, used by WorldTour teams such as UAE Team Emirates-XRG and Visma-Lease a Bike to ride faster, recover better, and win the biggest races. But what about the everyday cyclist, the keen amateur juggling a busy schedule, family life, and training - can Al help us all train better without the need for a costly coach? Or is it prone to giving misleading advice that could do more harm than good?

What is AI?

Put simply, Al refers to technology that can learn from data, spot patterns and make decisions - skills we usually associate with human intelligence. It’s already in your everyday life, from Google Maps rerouting your commute to Spotify suggesting the next song on your playlist. In cycling, Al has the ability - ostensibly, at least - to analyse your training data, spot weaknesses, adjust plans and even suggest recovery, all in real time, without a human coach.