From PRs to Olympic Gold: A Decade of Optimizing Human Performance
September 9, 2025

Broadcast live from the Gurobi Summit in Las Vegas, USA Cycling will share how a lunch-break side project grew into Best Bike Split, transforming race strategy for cyclists and triathletes of all levels through physics-based optimization and power planning. 

See how USA Cycling then democratized affordable run training by partnering with legendary coach Hal Higdon to create the RunWithHal app, which leverages operations research to deliver individualized, adaptive training plans to millions of runners worldwide. 

You’ll also hear about Project 4:05, the mixed-integer programming model that powered the U.S. Women’s Team Pursuit squad to gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics. With just eight months to prepare, USA Cycling built a granular optimization framework that modeled aerodynamics, power output, rotation strategies, and fatigue to create a winning blueprint. This success earned USA Cycling the 2025 Franz Edelman Award, demonstrating how operations research can transform human performance by managing the complex interplay of physics, physiology, and strategy. 

Finally, looking ahead to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, this presentation will explore how machine learning for talent identification, natural language interfaces for coaches, and AI-enhanced optimization are setting the stage for the next revolution in sports performance.  

Can’t make it in-person to Las Vegas? Register for this special live webinar to learn how the same mathematical rigor that optimizes supply chains can also optimize the human potential for athletic excellence. 

Register now!