Sports Performance & Tech, Issue 17

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08 How Can Technology Improve Fan Engagement At The Rugby World Cup?

With the 2015 Rugby World Cup taking place in London, we look at how the RFU can utilize tech to increase fan engagement.

14 How Big Data And Visualization Helped England Win The World Cup Back in 2003 Big Data and analytics meant nothing to 99% of people, but the England Rugby Team used it to win the World Cup.

06 How Is The NFL Increasing Its Digital Presence?

With an increased reliance on digital, the NFL is looking at new ways to engage with its fans and gain new ones.

CREATING & IMPLEMENTING INNOVATIVE SPORTS STRATEGY

MAY 18 & 19 2016 | AUSTIN

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ISSUE 17

EDITOR’S LETTER Welcome to the 17th Edition of Sports, Performance & Tech.

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s many of you may know, we are based in London despite reporting on innovations across the world. At the moment it is an exciting time for England’s capital city as the Rugby World Cup is currently taking place here.

Soccer, for instance, was clamoring for goal line technology for years before it was slowly introduced, and the NFL ignored news about head injuries and the technologies that could help prevent them.

For sports technology enthusiasts this has been particularly exciting as Rugby has traditionally been one of the quickest adopters of new technology and it has also brought a significant amount of technology into the limelight during the past few years.

When you look at the amount of money in the sports, football players can earn £300,000 ($455,000) per week, whereas the world’s best rugby players will earn £70,000 ($106,000) per month. Is change therefore easier to push through in sports where there are fewer lucrative commercial deals?

One of the most significant has been the use of the TMO or Television Match Official. This allows referees to refer to a match official who can see a replay of an incident from multiple angles in order to help make it correctly.

This World Cup has seen a significant technology breakthrough with these too, with TMOs being able to not only view incidents from the camera angles picked up by the television companies filming it, but also additional cameras that the TMO can control, meaning that they have an even better opportunity to get their decisions right.

So with these high tech elements permeating at its highest levels, I was curious about why this has not been the case for other more established sports.

It could also have something to do with rugby only becoming a professional game in 1995, meaning that they are more willing to embrace change.

Perhaps it is something completely different, but whatever the reason, may technology’s rise in rugby continue!

As always, if you are interested in contributing or have any feedback on the magazine, please contact me at ghill@theiegroup.com George Hill Editor-in-Chief

CONTENTS 05 | TECH UPDATE

16 | TRICKLE DOWN IN SPORT

We look at some of the best new sports technology and apparel.

We are seeing that technology and ideas once only available at elite levels are now available at much lower levels, we investigate why.

06 | HOW IS THE NFL INCREASING ITS DIGITAL PRESENCE

With an increased reliance on digital, the NFL are looking at new ways to engage with their fans and gain new ones.

14 | HOW BIG DATA & VISUALIZATION WON THE WORLD CUP FOR ENGLAND

8 | HOW CAN TECHNOLOGY IMPROVE FAN ENGAGEMENT AT THE RUGBY WORLD CUP?

With the 2015 Rugby World Cup taking place in London, we look at how the RFU can utilize tech to increase fan engagement.

12 | IOT HAVING MAJOR IMPACTS IN THE NFL

The Internet of Things is being adopted by the NFL to help with player tracking and fan interaction in and out of the stadium.

MANAGING EDITOR | GEORGE HILL

Back in 2003, Big Data and analytics meant nothing to 99% of people, but the England Rugby Team used it to win the World Cup. 20 | WHY MORE FOOTBALL CLUBS ARE PAYING ATTENTION TO DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

Football clubs are looking to redefine their digital presence in the face of changing expectations from their fans.

23 | REVIEW: OSPREY SYNCRO 20 RUCKSACK

EDITOR | JAMES OVENDEN , SIMON BARTON

CONTRIBUTORS | EUAN HUNTER , WILLIAM TUBBS , NATHAN MEYER

ART DIRECTOR | CHARLOTTE WEYER

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TECH

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UPDATE Each issue we show you five new exciting technologies that we think will be big.

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SCOUTEE, SMART SPEED RADAR The ELEMNT is a GPSenabled cycling computer designed to transform the way people experience and interact with their ride data. By streamlining the user experience and drastically simplifying the setup process, the ELEMNT allows riders to put the focus back on their ride, providing a seamless connection between the rider and their data.

The compact radar for baseball works by transmitting data it records through being placed beyond the target of a pitcher to an app on the user’s’ mobile device.

As well as traditional teeth and mouth protection, the SMRT Mouth is capable of tracking an athlete’s circulation, respiration, exertion and hydration.

All of this data is processed and available to analyse via an iOS or Android smart device.

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HOW ARE THE NFL INCREASING THEIR DIGITAL PRESENCE?

Nathan Meyer Head Of Digital Innovation Enterprise

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nyone who has ever tried to illegally stream a sports event, whether that be boxing, soccer, or the NFL, will know the struggle of having to move between streams, as poor quality link after poor quality link gets taken offline. You would assume that only the most desperate to avoid paying for a subscription service, would be willing to endure such an unpleasant and irritating viewing experience, but many do.

The NFL is notoriously reticent to make its games available to the viewing public for anything other than a premium price, making them a prime target for pirates. However, to combat the increase in illegal streaming, and in an attempt to cater to a public for whom the nature of media consumption is changing, they have focused on innovating their business model - apparently softening their stance on free viewing in the process. The NFL recently announced that they had reached an agreement with CBS

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they have focused on innovating their business models

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HOW ARE THE NFL INCREASING THIER DIGITAL PRESENCE ?

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The NFL ON CBS is to make two regular season games, four playoff games, and Super Bowl 50 available to live stream

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Sports which would allow the broadcaster to expand its free coverage to fans who lack even a cable or satellite package.

The ‘NFL ON CBS’ is to make two regular season games, four playoff games, and Super Bowl 50 available to live stream.

Fans will be able to access the games simply by visiting CBSSports.com on their laptops, desktops, connected TV devices and tablets, with no authentication.

The NFL is making some big moves to increase its digital presence, having previously been relatively slow to embrace the online market. They have already seen a substantial amount of success. NBC's streamed games averaged a record 3.3 million unique users last season, a yearon-year increase of 9%, and the league expects an increase of approximately $1 billion in revenue from 2014 to 2015.

As part of its new digital focus, it announced in March that Yahoo would screen its first ever digitally-only live broadcast, and will this year roll up all of its subscription offerings into one package called Domestic NFL Game Pass.

The Domestic NFL Game

Pass will include NFL Game Rewind, NFL Audio Pass, NFL Preseason Live and the subscription portion of the retooled NFL Now, which features NFL Films and other long-form content - all for $99.

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Commissioner Goodell has set ambitious goal for 2027 of $25 billion overall revenue.

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The NFL has worked exceptionally hard to make itself as relevant as possible in mainstream media. Every sports media outlet features an NFL related story on a daily basis, so much so that it has become a soap opera with a few games mixed in.

Commissioner Goodell has set an ambitious goal for 2027 of $25 billion overall revenue, a goal which it is aggressively pursuing. Its increased digital presence should go some way to helping them reach that goal, and its careful and deliberate strategy means that there is still a massive amount of room in the area for it to grow into.

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HOW CAN TECHNOLOGY IMPROVE FAN ENGAGEMENT AT THE RUGBY WORLD CUP? Euan Hunter Manager Sports Performance & Tech Summit

HOW CAN TECHNOLOGY IMPROVE FAN ENGAGEMENT AT THE RUGBY WORLD CUP?

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Mobile telecoms group O2, sponsor of the England rugby union team, estimates that as many as 20 million fans will be drawn to the World Cup

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hen international sporting federations consider who is to host their flagship tournaments, at the forefront of their minds is often whether the sport’s profile will be raised in the region as a result. FIFA president Sepp Blatter has been particularly vocal about his desire to see this happen with soccer, which has led to the Jules Rimet trophy being handed out in a number of countries not traditionally associated with the sport under his reign, such as South Africa and Japan. This same policy will see the World Cup hosted by Qatar in 2020, where it has the potential to convert some of its 2.169 million population and surrounding areas.

Rugby union, while still a huge sport, is not on the same popularity level as soccer, and there is still massive room for growth - even in those countries where the game is long established. Although England is the home of rugby, and one of the traditional powerhouses of the sport, it is still largely seen as a rich man’s game. There is much evidence that suggests English rugby is still ignoring vast pools of potential, with 61% of players in the English Premiership having attended independent schools, despite the privately educated accounting for just 7% of the population.

The Rugby World Cup should be a huge opportunity to increase its profile in the country, and across the world. Mobile telecoms group O2, sponsor of the England rugby union team, estimates that as

many as 20 million fans will be drawn to the World Cup. With supporters in the UK having an average of 4.6 connected devices per household, content across a range of platforms is essential for driving fan engagement, and keeping people interested in the sport after the tournament is over.

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61% of players in the English Premiership […] attended independent schools, despite the privately educated accounting for just 7% of the population

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Rugby is often seen as a leader in the adoption of technology in comparison with other sports.

Sophie Goldschmidt, Chief Commercial Officer at the RFU explained in 2013 that: ‘Our aim is to bring more people into the sport at all levels – from casual touch-rugby games to professional coaching in schools and clubs. We knew that driving fan engagement was the key to realizing this vision.’ The RFU was one of the first to incorporate refereeing technology and video replays, and teams have been quick to use wearable devices, which go on players’ shoulders during the game to produce detailed performance data. England Rugby also invested a mammoth £78m in ‘digitalizing’ Fortress Twickenham in 2011 to make it the most ‘digitally connected’ stadium in the whole of Europe in time for the World Cup. The RFU has put a heavy focus on driving traffic to its website during a

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HOW CAN TECHNOLOGY IMPROVE FAN ENGAGEMENT AT THE RUGBY WORLD CUP?

game, using stats from wearables and stadium sensors to provide inthe-moment insights to spectators at home or at the stadium – telling the story of a match in real time.

This helped drive the number of visitors to its pages up 27% during the 2013 RBS 6 Nations Championship, compared to 2012's.

The RFU has also worked in collaboration with Big Data technology specialist IBM to develop IBM TryTracker, a powerful Big Data analytics application which can access vast archives of historical match data to predict how a game is developing, putting the current action in context. In a series of in-depth workshops, IBM Global Business Services and RFU’s in-house digital team analyzed data from 300 international rugby matches to establish what statistical measures truly reflected a good team performance. IBM and RFU then used this information to design and configure three analytics dashboards using IBM SPSS® software. The RFU’s website, RFU.com, then displays three dashboards during live matches ‘momentum’, ‘keys to the game’ and ‘player influence’ – each delivering a different kind of realtime insight to fans.

As important as the content itself, is understanding how fans are engaging with it on and around match day, what devices they are on and how often. Mobile is particularly important, and the official Rugby World Cup 2015 app, delivered by Omnigon, is set to

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The App was downloaded 3.5 million times during the 2011 tournament

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help exploit this market. The App was downloaded 3.5 million times during the 2011 tournament, and the RFU is aiming for even more this time around. The App will be ‘geographically responsive’, and provide a way to connect fans in and around the stadiums, fanzones, and at home.

Twenty seven percent of fans say that they will increase their online sharing activity during the 2015 Rugby World Cup, while 34% say they’ll be consuming a lot more rugby content. For the RFU, adopting all the technology possible to provide this content to fans is essential for growing the game and realizing the potential of the tournament.

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IOT IS HAVING MAJOR IMPACTS ON THE NFL WILLIAM TUBBS, ORGANIZER SPORTS PERFORMANCE & TECH SUMMIT

IOT HAVING MAJOR IMPACTS ON THE NFL

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ccording to a recent Bloomberg poll, football has officially replaced baseball as America’s favourite pastime.

It’s not just the country’s biggest sport either, it’s now ‘the biggest anything’, with the top 20 most-watched programmes in the United States history all Super Bowl games.

If history is anything to go by, last year’s victory for the New England Patriot’s will be replaced by 2016’s ‘Golden Super Bowl’ as the most watched program ever in the US. This has been caused, in part, by the increasing sophistication of TV broadcasts, which have made match analysis more extensive, ultimately enhancing the whole viewing experience for fans.

The start of this year’s football season had all the hallmarks of those recently gone by; over the top firework displays and thousands of well-drilled cheerleaders robotically dancing at the drop of a hat.

But before the players took to the field, a small RFID chip - about the size of a quarter - was attached to their shoulder pads.

This is an entirely new project for the NFL, allowing analysts and coaches to measure the distance a player has travelled, their average speed, and also their exact position on the field at any given moment.

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The NFL’s main ambition with the project is to improve instant replays, in what they call ‘Next Generation Replays

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Football is a data rich sport, and that’s one of the main reasons why its fantasy leagues have been such a success. But the introduction of RFID tags should add another layer to the data that’s already at the disposal of fans, broadcasters and coaches. The NFL’s main ambition with the project is to improve instant replays, in what they call ‘Next Generation Replays’.

13

But the bad news is that unless you own an Xbox One or a device updated with Windows 10, they’re going to be unavailable.

Microsoft’s been a major sponsor of the NFL for some time, so it makes sense that they’d incorporate such restrictions.

Fans are also promised a better experience when they attend matches. Matt Swensson, Senior Director of Emerging Products and Technology at the NFL stated: ‘At the Pro Bowl last year, we had a display up that showed what players were on the field.

By putting up what players were on the field in real time, it really gave fans more information.’

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If RFID tags can engage fans even further, the 50th edition of the Super Bowl should smash all previous viewing ratings

In a similar vein to the digital transformation partnerships recently announced by soccer teams Chelsea FC and Manchester United, many fans will rarely, if ever, set foot in their team’s stadium, so concentrating on improving the experience of fans who buy tickets to watch live games tends to take a backseat to initiatives reaching those watching on TV and online. Therefore, expect most of the data attained from the RFID tags to be used to drive instant replays and TV broadcasts, more than say live boards at a match.

If RFID tags can engage fans even further, the 50th edition of the Super Bowl should smash all previous viewing ratings by some margin, while also enhancing the game’s international reputation.

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How Big Data And Visualization Helped England Win The Rugby World Cup George Hill Managing Editor Sports Performance & Tech Magazine

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they needed to demonstrate to their manager that they were genuinely data driven

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Living in England was good in 2003, property prices were increasing, jobs were plentiful and most importantly the English rugby team had won the World Cup in Australia.

One of the keys to this was put down to the superior players that the England team had, from arguably the best fly half of all time, Jonny Wilkinson, through to their leader Martin Johnson who controlled the scrum and lead from the front.

They had a team of the fittest, fastest and strongest players, but this alone was not the reason they won.

We heard from Sir Clive Woodward in November 2014 at the Sports Performance & Tech summit about how he ingrained a data culture within the team in order to improve player understanding of their performance data.

When Clive Woodward started in the role, most of the team didn’t even know how to use a laptop, let alone relatively complex data analysis. This is simply because rugby had only become a professional sport in 1995, meaning that the data inherent in sports like tennis and football had not had as much of an impact in rugby.

To make sure that the team not only use the data, but understand it, Woodward would give the players a CD with their data and video on, which they would take two days to analyse.

They would then present this analysis of their personal performance to him and set targets from it. In this way they needed to demonstrate to their manager that they were genuinely data driven and capable of making changes to the way they operate based on what the data demonstrated.

15 HOW BIG DATA AND VISUALIZATION HELPED ENGLAND WIN THE WORLD CUP

By implementing this throughout every element of the team, it meant that everybody was on the same level and more complex concepts could then be introduced and performances in the team could improve even further. Knowing what to look for in the data after the game and then being able to implement these next time they played was a key component to the overall success of the team.

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They had a team of the fittest, fastest and strongest players, but this alone was not the reason they won

“

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he understood concepts and communication techniques to make the players understand what was needed.

“ Since then the use of analytics and data visualization in rugby has become the norm rather than the outlier, with the best teams across the world also possessing some of the best playing and analytical staff. The understanding of players also plays a vital role in making this work.

Given the different needs and skill sets required by players in different positions, the data collected needs to cast a wide net. For instance, a fullback will need to know entirely different information to a hooker. A winger will need totally different information from a second row. This means that coaches can only do so much and it takes analytical skills of the players themselves to decide what they should know and how to improve within their position.

The 2003 England Rugby team spearheaded this thanks in no small part to Sir Clive

Woodward’s background. After starting his playing career, he took a short hiatus to gain a Bachelor of Science degree in Sports Science followed by a Postgraduate Certificate in Education. This meant that rather than a pure rugby coaching background, he understood concepts and communication techniques to make the players understand what was needed.

This is something that coaches struggle with even today, but through clear methodology and concise use of data, the England team of 2003 became champions of the world.

TRICKLE DOWN IN SPORT George Hill, Managing Editor Sports Performance & Tech Magazine

TRICKLE DOWN IN SPORT

Today we have seen the level of technology available to amateur athletes jump considerably as the price of previously expensive kit has become cheaper. We have also seen the understanding of many key elements of sports and injuries become more widely accepted and appreciated further down sports thanks to injuries suffered at the top.

In terms of equipment, think about the kind of shoes seen on runners only 20 years ago. Today these would be considered as casual shoes, not specifically for sport.

In fact arguably the world’s most iconic casual shoe, the Converse All Star, are a case in point. These were originally created as basketball shoes in 1917, today almost every pair sold will be used for fashion as they are not deemed to be of enough high quality to be dedicated sports shoes.

Today, basketball shoes have millions of dollars of R&D invested in them, creating air pockets, antiankle roll systems and complex ventilation flow in order to create the best possible experience for an amateur player. To put it in context, the mid-range shoes that can be

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the mid-range shoes that can be found on any basketball court are probably the same, if not better quality than Michael Jordan wore in his prime

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found on any basketball court are probably the same, if not better quality than those worn by Michael Jordan in his prime.

Similarly, when you look at soccer cleats, the technology that you would regularly find on $200+ sets only 5 years ago are available for sub $100. The innovations of yesterday have become today’s bare minimum.

In fact in order to create new innovations sports companies are needing to resort to increasingly unconventional techniques.

Take the Nike Hypervenom boots, who would have thought that we would see a set of cleats which acted as half shoe and half sock?

Due to trickle down, companies are needing to resort to these new techniques to appear ahead of the curve or to get marginal gains when the obvious changes have already been made.

Cycling is also seeing this trickle down effect in more than just the bikes that are bought.

The affordability of carbon framed bikes has decreased to the extent that you can pick up a complete carbon bike for under $1000.

Only 10-15 years ago there were several professional teams who couldn’t afford the new luxurious material, instead being forced to race with steel or aluminium frames instead.

Even though cycling has become one of the most data driven sports in the world at the elite level, the ability to get data has also trickled down to the amateur consumer market. For instance, measuring how much power a

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94% of elite level rugby players experienced one or more concussions

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cyclist creates when pedalling was only a dream for amateurs.

Whilst in an upcoming issue we are testing the Garmin Vector pedals which can communicate this data to our standard cycle computer, in real time. The pedals aren’t the cheapest on the market, but there are power meters available for less that $500 today, although still not dirt cheap, they are far more accessible for the keen amateur.

This level of technology being available at the grassroots of sports is not simply about being able to afford better equipment, it is also about allowing people to be safer playing the sports they love. We are seeing ideas and understanding of medical issues from high profile cases increasing the knowledge of the impact that this can have on amateur players.

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TRICKLE DOWN IN SPORT

A recent example of this is rugby, where George North, the Welsh winger, suffered four concussions in five months and missed a huge chunk of the season. For a rugby player, knocks to the head are an occupational hazard, in fact Patria Hume, Professor at The Auckland University of Technology, found that "94% of elite level rugby players experienced one or more concussions”. The shock for people was that North is only 23 years old and already one of the most exciting players in the world.

It is not simply a problem for professional players either, the British Journal of Sports Medicine conducted a study which predicted that the probability of a youth gaining a concussion in 1000 hours of playing rugby was between 0.3% and 11.4%. Although this is a significant disparity, it still goes to show that there is a real chance of concussion and that this is an issue that doctors, officials and even parents at these games should be aware of.

Previously this would have been seen as part and parcel of playing youth rugby, but after several high profile cases, understanding and treatment of these injuries has filtered down to youth level, meaning that although it is not easy to prevent the injuries, the treatment is significantly improved.

The pace of trickle down of both ideas and technology is undoubtedly quicker than only 20 years ago,

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the number of patents filed

by Nike has increased by an average of 14% year-on-year since 2000

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which people normally link to improving manufacturing techniques and increased R&D budgets. This would ring true with the increasing number of patents being filed by sports companies. For instance the number of patents filed by Nike has increased by an average of 14% year-on-year since 2000.

However, one of the keys to this trickle down is the effectiveness of the marketing of these companies and also the considerably wider net that media coverage of these events and technologies has. Where twenty years ago there may have been national newspapers running a single story, one or two specialized magazines discussing it, TV coverage for a day and a few radio phone ins, it has changed today. Today we get to see the newest technology through thousands of websites, shared through significant numbers of social networks and fully searchable on Google.

It means that information is digested more readily and is more easily accessible, as well as being permanent - where a

newspaper can be thrown away, an article on the web leaves a lasting legacy.

This proliferation of information has created not only the knowledge that trickles down, such as concussion treatment, but the familiarity with technology and a demand for it. This makes it easier to sell higher end products and fund more development for future tech innovations, pushing previous technology down to lower end models.

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it’s clear that they feel that it will have an important strategic impact on their respective fan bases

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Why more football clubs are paying attention to digital transformation William Tubbs Organizer Sports Performance & Tech Sport

M

anchester United’s dip in form after the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson seems to be slowly coming to an end. Despite their lacklustre performance over the past two seasons, their brand hasn’t suffered, with Bloomberg highlighting that this year they were WILLIAM TUBBS, the first ORGANIZER soccer club to reach a billion dollar valuation.

The power of their&brand is SUMMIT further accentuated when SPORTS PERFORMANCE TECH you consider that they didn’t qualify for the UEFA Champions League last year, an important competition for international fan engagement.

Manchester United - like all sporting organizations of its stature - is run like a business. And like a business, they understand the importance of capitalizing on new, emerging trends. Negotiations between the club and digital transformation partner HCL Technologies began at the turn of the year, and in September they

21 WHY MORE FOOTBALL CLUBS ARE PAYING ATTENTION TO DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

were finalized. The deal is the biggest of its kind, with Manchester United hoping that the partnership will see them demonstrate best practices within the industry.

Although the club has somewhere in the region of 600 million fans worldwide, decidedly few will ever attend a match. This means that their use of digital will have to exist outside of the stadium’s walls, otherwise only a tiny percentage of them will experience what the the HCL partnership has to offer. Anant Gupta - President & CEO, HCL Technologies - made it clear that Manchester United’s digital transformation would be far-reaching: ‘This partnership is unique and creates value not just for Manchester United and its fans, but also for all forwardlooking organizations across the world’.

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Negotiations between the club and digital transformation partner HCL Technologies began at the turn of the year, and in September they were finalized

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The finer details of the partnership weren’t discussed at length when the deal was unveiled, but there will be a ‘United Xperience Lab’, which will gives fans the opportunity

to engage with the club in new ways. According to HCL the lab will offer ‘a multilayered framework wherein human intelligence and psychometrics, interface with next-gen technology to create intuitive and smart Digital solutions.’

Manchester United aren’t, however, the only club in English football to recently announce a partnership with a digital transformation agency however. Last year’s Premier League winners, Chelsea FC, announced that they would also be embarking on a similar project, just a day after Manchester United did the same. They too want to use the initiative to further expand their international presence, with the hope being that Wipro will be able to push the club’s fortunes in their native India.

With two of English football’s most successful and wealthiest clubs looking at digital transformation, it’s clear that they feel that it will have an important strategic impact on their respective fan bases. Time will only tell if such partnerships are possible with less lucrative clubs, but like the adoption of analytics, it could eventually become a mainstay within all professional clubs.

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Chelsea FC, announced that they would also be embarking on a similar project, just a day after Manchester United did that same

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DIGITAL INNOVATION FOR A WEARABLE FUTURE

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REVIEW: OSPREY SYNCRO 20 RUCKSACK

23

REVIEW

Osprey

To help with this, the straps are well ventilated, being thin with large perforations running down their length. It means that the bags is comfortable and well ventilated even after wearing it for a long time in hot conditions.

Syncro 20 Rucksack A well thought out and high tech pack that allows for long trips or cycling commutes. The only downside was the color that I tested, which got dirty fairly quickly on dusty rides.

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hen people think about rucksacks, they are not thinking about the latest hightech gadgets, they are thinking about carrying things about.

However, this is not the case in reality and leading the charge into innovative pack design is Osprey.

We have been testing the Syncro 20 pack over the last few weeks, which features some interesting new concepts.

Inside, the bag has really good storage, with 3 main compartments with compression straps that allow for both expansion and compression to fit more in or make it more streamline, depending on which you need.

The pack is designed for use on and off a bike, with some features that are specific to cyclists. These include a helmet clip, to keep a helmet attached the pack and a tool pocket, for keeping tools in a single compartment for when you need to make repairs on the go. However, the biggest nod towards the use on a bike is the Adjustable AirSpeed™ trampoline suspended mesh backsystem, which keeps the bulk of the bag off your back, increasing airflow and minimizing sweat.

The fact that it minimizes sweat is one of the key selling points of the bag, with Osprey opening their description with ‘Arrive at your destination cool, calm and collected’.

It is therefore good to report that it achieves this aim well.

It is not a magical cure for back sweat when riding, but the difference between this and other packs that I have used is pronounced.

The 20L capacity is also more than enough to fit in kit for commuting or for an overnight cycle or walk.

I really enjoyed using this bag and the only real downside was that I tested the yellow color, which was not ideal for cycling on dusty trails as it got dirty fairly quickly.

Aside from this, I was very impressed.

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