Velon And Go Pro Footage To Be Used At RideLondon

Last updated : 28 July 2016 By RideLondon

Viewers watching BBC television coverage of Sunday’s Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic will be transported into the heart of the action, thanks to a partnership with Velon.

Six UCI WorldTour teams signed up to Velon – an organisation formed to offer long-term stability to cycling teams – will give viewers a thrilling and innovative insight into professional racing.

Two tracking devices will be carried by each Velon team - including Team Sky with three-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome - to share vital data such as rider heart rate, power, speed, cadence and acceleration with the fans.

This thrilling innovation is a first for a British cycle race and means that viewers, from the comfort of their armchairs, will be able to learn how fast a rider’s heart is beating as he attacks up Leith Hill, or how fast he’s going on the descent on the other side.

The rider telemetry will be shown at intervals throughout the race exclusively on BBC One, broadcasting from 15:30 – 18:30 (from 13:00 on the Red Button) in the UK. Using the Velon app and website, fans can follower the rider data on mobile and tablet devices to further enhance the race broadcast experience.

One rider from each Velon team will carry a GoPro camera to capture the action from inside the race. Footage will be published on www.prudentialridelondon.co.uk and the Velon app and website once the race has ended, enabling fans to look back and share all the exciting action from the heart of the peloton.

The Velon teams racing the Classic are: Team Sky, BMC Racing, Cannondale-Drapac, Etixx - Quick-Step, Lotto Soudal and Orica-BikeExchange.

Velon CEO Graham Bartlett said: “The Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic is offering more opportunities than ever for fans to feel a part of the action. We have worked hard to make sure fans can see how amazing the star riders are at the touch of a button, and the partnership with the race organiser and the BBC takes this to a whole new level.”

Hugh Brasher, Prudential RideLondon Event Director, said: “We are delighted to have Velon on board for the 2016 Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic. Velon brings a brand-new technology which will add a whole new dimension to the viewer experience.”

Download the Velon app for Apple devices here, and Android devices here

In addition to the Velon coverage, two onboard cameras will bring the action live from the heart of the peloton, with one fitted to the bike of Adam Blythe, national road race champion and winner of the race in 2014. Blythe will be riding for the Great Britain national team.

These small, lightweight cameras will be fixed on the handlebars of bikes with a tiny transmitter fitted into a rider’s water bottle. The transmitter is set on a timer to turn on and off at certain times of the race as the maximum transmitter time is 2h 30m.

The video signal is then captured by an aeroplane flying at 28,000ft above London and above incoming flights to Heathrow Airport. In the aircraft, this video feed is re-worked and re-programmed with other TV signals captured from the race and then fed back to the host broadcast position at the finish line in The Mall.

There will be more innovation on show at Saturday’s Prudential RideLondon Classique – the UCI WorldTour race for the professional women riders – as work continues to improve on the innovative television coverage introduced last year.

This year three riders will be fitted with cameras on their bike frames, giving viewers on BBC2 from 18:00 to 19:00 a unique insight into what it is like to be racing laps around central London with the best female riders in the world.

The organisers of the weekend festival of cycling have delivered an extensive community engagement programme with the support of TfL, the London boroughs on the route and Surrey County Council to help residents and businesses along the route plan ahead. This included pre-awareness campaign posters on the transport network, a series of customer information emails and a leaflet drop in July to 1 million+ residents and businesses along the route. Information on travel disruption and advice will be available on www.tfl.gov.uk/ridelondon. To avoid delays over the event weekend, all drivers are advised to avoid areas near the event routes.