Supersapiens and EOLO KOMETA Cycling Team have announced a partnership for the 2022 race season. Powered by Abbott’s Libre Sense Glucose Sport Biosensor, Supersapiens delivers athlete insights that will help the Italian-registered team make fuelling decisions to optimize training and recovery.
The EOLO-KOMETA Cycling Team is a UCI ProTeam and in 2021, the squad appeared in its first Grand Tour, the Giro d’Italia where Lorenzo Fortunato won Stage 14.
“EOLO-KOMETA’s success over the past few years has been impressive to watch,” said Phil Southerland, CEO and Founder of Supersapiens. “What stood out to us at Supersapiens is their core mission to promote healthy lifestyle habits and to use the bike as a platform to inspire positive and lasting behaviour change.”
The Supersapiens and EOLO-KOMETA relationship came about during the Mallorca 312 presented by Supersapiens Gran Fondo. It was there that Southerland connected with Alberto Contador… ‘and a brief conversation showcased how aligned the two are around a collective mission.’
“Alberto fundamentally understands the value of a successful fuelling strategy and also has vivid stories that illuminate the consequences of nutritional mistakes,” Southerland said. “Quickly we recognized the opportunity to empower all of EOLO-KOMETA – from the juniors to the pros – and saw a path to help them avoid some of the challenges that young riders experience.
“I am excited to support a young and hungry team and ready to watch them battle it out against the best in the world.”
Paired to the Abbott glucose sport biosensor, the Supersapiens app and Energy Band will track glucose control and energy management for EOLO-KOMETA riders and staff. With real-time glucose data and analytics, they will have tools to optimise performance and recovery nutrition.
The Supersapiens Energy Band, Version Zero is billed as the first and only performance wearable device that is capable of reading glucose data directly from a biosensor. It can be worn on the wrist or attached to a bike’s handlebars, syncs directly with Abbott’s biosensor via Bluetooth, and displays minute-by-minute glucose data.
“Right from the start, and from both sides, there was great interest in fostering this partnership,” said Fran Contador, GM of EOLO-KOMETA Cycling Team. “We had the first meeting in October, and in a very short time, we arrived at the signing.
“I am very happy to have found such an important partner in Supersapiens. They will help us better oversee the fuelling and nutrition of our riders, which we believe will directly improve performance.”
Through real-time glucose data monitoring, EOLO-KOMETA riders can understand their body’s fuelling requirements on an individual level and discover the most stable and sustainable fuel sources for their individual needs.
Additionally, Supersapiens allows the riders to dial the timing and amount for their pre-race carbohydrate loading, make real-time decisions to maintain their optimal glucose zones during hard training sessions, and maximise recovery by refuelling and helping to manage fatigue.
The EOLO-KOMETA Cycling Team put itself in the spotlight with some strong results during the 2021 season – with Vincenzo Albanese in the green jersey for two days at Tirreno-Adriatico, the victory of Lorenzo Fortunato on the iconic Monte Zoncolan at the Giro d’Italia and also two days with Albanese wearing the blue jersey at the 3-week Italian race, and Fortunato winning the overall and taking victory on Stage 2 at Adriatica Ionica.
The young team also made appearances at Strade Bianche, Milano-Torino, and Giro di Lombardia. Heading into the 2022 season, EOLO-KOMETA will continue to look to its leaders Fortunato and Albanese and has bolstered its roster with several new promising riders including Giovanni Lonardi and Mirco Maestri.
The Italian squad kicked off the new year aggressively by Lonardi winning the opening 2022 UCI European Road Race, Classica Valenciana in mid-January.
Supersapiens adds that its set of data interpretation tools is paving the way for lasting behaviour change and continuous improvement. In addition to Supersapiens’ wrist wearable, the Supersapiens app streams real-time glucose data to select Garmin devices, ensuring real-time visibility on the bike. It also integrates with AppleHealth and TrainingPeaks to allow users to track and analyse their glucose data with other key metrics.
The Supersapiens system, powered by Abbott’s Libre Sense, including the Supersapiens Energy Band, is now available in Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
www.supersapiens.com
www.eolokometacyclingteam.com
