Cycling is changing. The demands of racing are shifting. The volume, intensity, and complexity of modern competition continue to rise. At the same time, the way performance is measured, understood, and managed is being pushed beyond the limits of legacy models.

For athletes at the highest level, this gap between how the sport is raced and how performance is interpreted is no longer theoretical. It is something they live every day. That reality sits at the heart of why Eddie Dunbar and Valentin Madouas have joined Vekta as athlete investors and founding members of the newly created Vekta Athlete Advisory Board.

Their involvement is not symbolic. It is deliberate. Both riders are stepping into an active role in shaping how performance tools evolve, how insights are delivered, and how athletes interact with the systems that increasingly guide their training and racing.

A Platform Shaped by Athletes, Not Assumptions

The Vekta Athlete Advisory Board has been created to ensure that the platform’s long-term direction is guided by the lived experience of elite athletes. Not filtered through theory alone, but grounded in real racing demands, real preparation, and real decision-making under pressure.

As founding members, Eddie and Valentin will contribute across product innovation, performance models, feature development, and athlete experience. Their input will help ensure that Vekta continues to develop as a performance environment that reflects how endurance sport is actually lived at the top level. This is not about adding another layer of data. It is about clarity. Relevance. And building tools that evolve alongside the athletes and coaches who rely on them.

Eddie Dunbar: Precision Under Pressure

Eddie Dunbar’s career has been defined by his ability to perform deep into the hardest races in the world. A proven stage-race rider and GC contender, his results reflect not only physical capability but a meticulous, technically minded approach to preparation.

Eddie has already been closely involved in Vekta’s early product development, providing feedback shaped by the realities of modern WorldTour racing. His continued involvement reflects a belief that performance understanding must move with the sport itself.

The demands of training and racing are changing, and the way performance is understood has to change with them. Being involved at this stage is about helping shape what comes next.

Valentin Madouas: Perspective Across Disciplines

Valentin Madouas brings a different but equally valuable perspective. One of the most versatile riders in the peloton, his performances span classics, stage races, and championship events. His silver medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and his consistency at the highest level speak to both adaptability and durability.

Valentin’s involvement also marks an important moment for Vekta’s growth in France and beyond. His interest lies not only in improving analysis for a small group of riders, but in raising the standard of how performance is approached across the sport as a whole. From young riders entering the system to established professionals, his contribution reinforces the idea that high-quality performance tools should not be reserved for a select few.

It’s not just about improving analysis for a small group of riders, but about raising the standard of how performance is approached across the whole sport, from young riders to WorldTour professionals. Being part of this journey matters.”

Beyond Technology

Both athletes have chosen to invest in Vekta for the same core reasons. They see it as the future of how performance will be trained, analysed, and understood. They believe that AI-driven insights only remain meaningful when shaped by the lived experience of athletes and coaches. And they believe that access to high-quality performance tools should be broader, not narrower.

Their guidance will help ensure that Vekta continues to develop not just as a technology platform, but as a performance environment. One that reflects the complexity, nuance, and pressure of modern endurance sport.

As Vekta’s co-founder and CEO Paul-Antoine Girard explains;

Welcoming Eddie and Valentin as both investors and strategic advisors marks an important milestone. Their insight accelerates the development of a platform built by athletes, for athletes, and helps shape the next phase of innovation in endurance performance.

Shaping What Comes Next

The Vekta Athlete Advisory Board exists for a simple reason. The people who train and race at the sharp end of the sport should be involved in shaping the tools they rely on. Performance models only work when they reflect what actually happens in training and racing, not what looks good on paper.

As the sport continues to evolve, the gap between how cycling is raced and how performance is understood is only getting wider. Closing that gap does not come from louder tools or more data, but from closer collaboration with the athletes who live those demands every day. Bringing Eddie Dunbar and Valentin Madouas into that process is not about endorsement or status. It is about keeping Vekta grounded in the reality of the sport, and ensuring that what is built next reflects how endurance performance is actually trained, raced, and experienced at the highest level.