Dave Brailsford took over as the Performance Director of Great Britain’s professional cycling team in 2010.
No British cyclist had ever won the Tour de France until that time.
Tour de France was first organised in 1903, and it remains the most prestigious cycling competition in the world.
Brailsford developed a concept that he referred to as “aggregation of marginal gains”.
He explained it as improving all aspects of professional cycling by just 1%.
First, he and his team started optimising the most obvious things: the cyclists’ diet, training programs, ergonomics of the seats and weights of the tyres.
Then they dug deeper and worked on things that no one thought could impact the performance.
They discovered the pillow that offered the best sleep and the best massage gel.
The team took their pillows and massage gels wherever they went.
They identified the best ways to wash hands to reduce the risk of infection.
They also introduced perfectly heated outfits to keep the muscles at the perfect temperature.
Brailsford believed that with these changes, the team could win Tour de France within five years.
They won it within three years — Sir Bradley Wiggins became the first British cyclist to win the Tour de France in 2012.
Brailsford took this approach to train the British cycling team at the 2012 Olympic Games.
And dominated the competition by winning 70 per cent of the gold medals available.
