'Data science and AI are the next frontier for the sport' – Ineos Grenadiers partner with Swansea University to help find the next generational talent

Ineos Grenadiers have partnered with Swansea University to help create new ways of identifying cycling talent, it was announced this week.

The British WorldTour team will work with the Welsh university's Applied Sport, Technology, Exercise and Medicine (A-STEM) Research Centre to "develop cutting-edge data and AI solutions that could revolutionise how emerging talent is identified in professional cycling", according to the press release.

A joint project has begun, called Towards the development of digital twins for efficient talent identification in professional cycling. This mean there will be a dedicated PhD student working with Ineos to explore how "data-informed systems can help teams identify emerging and currently overlooked talent earlier and more effectively".

The project aims to combine the team's internal performance metrics with public race data to monitor junior riders; an automated system will be created which flag performances, and allow the squad to keep track of developing talent.

If it works, Ineos will hope to catch the next generational talent at a younger age and sign them, rather than seem them go to a rival team or not make it to the WorldTour at all.

Ineos Grenadiers' performance director, Dr Scott Drawer, said: "The emerging fields of data science and AI are the next frontier for the sport. These projects form part of a large portfolio of work with academia and industry to accelerate our understanding and application to our sport.

"My personal experience of working with Swansea has always been positive and delivered direct impact to the way we work."

Liam Kilduff, professor of Performance Science, head of the A-STEM Research Centre, and co-chair of the Welsh Institute of Performance Science, added: "At Swansea University, we take pride in building strong partnerships with industry leaders, ensuring mutual benefit for all parties.

"Some collaborations have lasted over 23 years, resulting in major impacts in elite and professional sports. We’re excited to be working with INEOS Grenadiers and look forward to collaborating with Scott and his team on this innovative project."

The university also works with other sports organisations and teams including Swansea City in football, and Scarlets and Ospreys in rugby union.

The partnership with Swansea University is just the latest development from Ineos in recent months. Last month, they announced they would be teaming up with British junior team camsmajaco creating a "new talent pathway". This followed the announcement of Ineos' first under-23 squad, the Ineos Grenadiers Racing Academy. Camsmajaco joined American outfit Hot Tubes Development Cycling in Ineos' talent programme.