Cyclists

can race faster—and rise higher on the podium.

In competitive cycling, a tenth of a second is everything. Ahead of the Rio Olympics, the U.S. Women’s Cycling Team tapped IBM Analytics and Watson IoT to study every pedal stroke and heartbeat. By analyzing data streaming in from sensors installed in the bikes, IBM helped the team calculate the optimal energy output of each rider at certain points in the race. The team ended up beating their own American record, shaving two full seconds off their time from the 2016 London World Championships and ascending the podium in Rio with the 2016 silver medal.