SAP NEWSBYTE - With the support of a mobile app from SAP AG (NYSE: SAP), a team of cyclists recently set a new world record in a non-stop bicycle race across Russia. The four Austrian athletes covered a distance of 9,203 kilometers in 13 days, two hours and 59 minutes. As the premium sponsor of the event, LLC SAP C.I.S. was a key driver of the project. Together with Alpe Consulting, SAP developed the Race Across Russia mobile app, which was built on SAP® Mobile Platform and enabled fans to monitor and interact with the cyclists in real time. The race began at the Red Square in Moscow on August 1 and ended on August 14 in Vladivostok, located near the Sea of Japan. With the Race Across Russia mobile app created by SAP, fans were able to:
* Track cyclists’ routes online at any time
* Gain insights into the team, such as biographies and sporting achievements as well as statistics like distance covered, average speed and combined meters in altitude
* Communicate with the team via smartphone and receive messages on the race, including photos and videos
“We were thrilled to support the ambitious team of cyclists around Andreas Sachs and help them to set a new world record by crossing Russia in only 13 days and nearly three hours,” said Marco Mueller, marketing director, LLC SAP C.I.S. “With the Race Across Russia mobile app, we allowed fans to participate in greater team spirit and provided them with a richer fan experience.”
Led by well-known Austrian racing cyclist Andreas Sachs, runner-up in the legendary Race Across America 2009 and the Race Across Australia 2011, the team of four speed cyclists also included Robert Lang, Michael Strasser and Walter Zelenka. The four were accompanied by 14 people in five cars and with one and a half years of preparation for the non-stop race, they covered 720 kilometers per day, crossed seven time zones and cycled through 87 cities in Russia. By achieving its goal in only 13 days, two hours and 59 minutes, the team applied for an entry in The Guinness Book of Records. The day-by-day route can be found at www.austriateam.com/en/route-2/.
Throughout the race, two SAP representatives supported the team of cyclists: Marco Mueller helped with the SAP press conferences and official receptions in 10 cities and Artem Sherekh coordinated the app design and supported the team as the head manager. Both employees also shared news from the race in three languages on a daily basis through the mobile app.
With key technology drivers including big data analytics, the SAP HANA® platform, SAP Mobile Platform and cloud applications, SAP is committed to delivering solutions in the world of sports and entertainment that enhance the fan experience, provide real-time insights to improve performance and help sport and event management organizations run like never before. Sports and entertainment solutions from SAP are designed to add value and new experiences for everyone, from ardent concert fans to the most intense sports fanatics.
The Race Across Russia mobile app created by SAP can be downloaded for both Android and iOS. To learn more, visit the SAP for Sports and Entertainment page on sap.com. For more information, visit the SAP Newsroom. Follow SAP on Twitter at @sapnews.