Le Tour de France 2010, the largest yearly recurring sportsevent in the world, is unfolding in all its glory.

I really like the live stream of the NOS, one of the broadcasters in the Dutch public broadcasting system. You can not only watch the live coverage of the stage, but you also get a graphical overview of the stage, the differences in time, the position of the yersey’s and finally you can switch to the audio of Radio 1. It is not just a livestream but a more complete aggregation of real-time Tour de France information.

The majority of professional cyclists ride furthermore with the SRM Training System – PowerMeter + PowerControl, which is a kind of super cycling computer that is the best system to measure the power output of a rider. Seldom any if this (biometric) data is publicaly shared.

The first time I have seen such an attempt was after the Tour of Flanders victory of Fabian Cancellara, when Nicolas Sims, Global Marketing Manager of Specialized shared this information in a video on Youtube.

Team HTC-Columbia and Google teamed up and bring this concept of realtime and rider specific data to the next level, as you can follow the riders’ performance during Le Tour de France 2010 in the so called Velostream:

“Experience the Tour De France like never before. Track all nine riders from Team HTC – Columbia and see their exact locations and real-time telemetry data.”

Keyrole for the HTC Legend

Bob Stapelton, the team owner of cycling team HTC-Columbia, explains during the Tour de Frans 2010 Press Conference that the team will be suited with a modified version of the Google Android powered HTC Legend.

The modified HTC Legend is able to read the SRM sensors output and wirelessly transmits it to an online server. The modification will, in my personal view, foremost consists of the ANT+ implementation:

“ANT+ facilitates the collection, automatic transfer and tracking of sensor data for monitoring information anywhere, anytime.  The key advantage of this unique managed network is device specific interoperability which enables wireless communication with other ANT+ products.  This interoperability function (added to the base ANT protocol) now facilitates the reliable transfer of data between sensors and display devices such as watches, heart rate monitors and bike computers. ”

Google MyTracks enhances telemetry data

Google enhances this real-time telemetry data with some well known Google applications like: Google maps, Google earth, Google MyTracks.

“My Tracks is an application for your Android phone that enables you to record GPS tracks and view live statistics – such as time, speed, distance, and elevation – while hiking, biking, running or participating in other outdoor activities. Once recorded, you can share your tracks, upload them to Google Spreadsheets and visualize them on Google My Maps.”

Google MyTracks takes care of the location part, that is combined with the telemetry data. According to Bob Stapelton will Google Streetview be supported so you can really see where the team HTC-Columbia riders are passing by.

Overall conclusion and wrap-up

What is the heart-rate of Michael Rogers in the mountains and what is the power-input of Mark Cavendish in the final sprint on Avenue des Champs-Élysées?!

It is really cool to see how mobile technology and the world of internet enhance professional cycling. For example the use of Skype has helped team HTC-Columbia to communicate more effectively at lower costs, the Scott F01 project helps the riders to transform the maximum power at the best aerodynamics into forward speed, and the SRM telemetry data of the riders helps the follow the riders’ shape and training input.

Given the fact that Le Tour the France is the biggest annual recurring sports event, I really like that team HTC-Columbia is willing to openly share its riders data. The result is that you can follow Le Tour de France in a more personal and interactive way. As a hobby cyclist I do have a feeling about the speeds and heart-rates, so it is higly interesting to follow the riders realtime during the stages.

It is a new way entertainment with a key-role for the HTC Legend powered by the Google Android mobile operating system. During the race you can track the riders on a special Google website, as well as on the Velostream page of the team HTC-Columbia website ! I really hope that other teams will follow, and that this initiative will be extended to other races as well.