Stephan van der Zwan, creator of 'ProCyclingStats': "We wanted statistics to be sexy."

The office with the best views of the Tour de France is a white and lilac camper van, a recognizable icon for any cycling fan. From his folding chair next to it, parked on an anonymous straight 94 kilometers from the finish of the sixth stage, where he reports to La Vanguardia , Stephan van der Zwan (58) stops looking at the landscape for a few hours. His attention is focused on his laptop, from which he manages what could well be considered the Bible of cycling statistics.

He's the founder and co-owner of the ProCyclingStats (PCS) website. He's been living in Canillo, Andorra, since 2021. He defines himself as a digital nomad and has launched a project born out of a passion for cycling. Now, he's upsetting Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), which has restricted them from displaying their brand during the French round, considering them to be advertising.

For those who don't know him, who is Stephan van der Zwan?

I'm Stephan van der Zwan, and I just turned 58. I was born in the Netherlands, but since 2021 I've been living in Canillo, Andorra. I've never been a professional cyclist, but I've been a fan since I was a child. I was 13 when my hero, Joop Zoetemelk, won the Tour de France.

What is your exact role in ProCyclingStats?

I'm the founder and one of the two owners. I'm in charge of public relations, quality control, and, so to speak, the face of the company.

The story of how PCS came to be is fascinating. How did the idea come about?

It's a long story. I fell in love with cycling when I was 13 and rode with my two brothers. Unfortunately, my brother Eric, two years older than me, died in a training accident in 2000. Following his death, I inherited his computer, and so, in 2001, I came into contact with the internet phenomenon. I created a first website about a bike trip with my daughter and then another about children's cycling that became very popular. In 2008, I started working as a cycling journalist, but the company didn't work out well, and I saw the end coming. It was then, in 2012, that I contacted my partner, Bert Lip. I proposed the idea of PCS to him, and we decided to start with nothing, just two people and a lot of passion.

And what would you say is the soul of PCS?

Both Bert and I are passionate about cycling and data. We wanted, and still want, to share that passion. There was a lot of data available, but it wasn't accessible to everyone. Our goal was to share it, make cycling more transparent, and try to make statistics "sexy."

When did you realize that PCS was becoming the world reference?

I think the key moment was when we launched PCS Live Stats in 2019. That's when we differentiated ourselves from other websites that only provided results. Although the pandemic hit the following year, we've seen annual growth of between 30% and 50% since then. Just yesterday (July 9), we broke all records with more than 5 million page views and 330,000 unique visitors in a single day.

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Its reach extends beyond the directors' offices. After the fourth stage of the Tour de France, Cycling Weekly magazine described this scene: "Right after finishing and getting off his bike, British rider Oscar Onley pulled out his phone and went straight to 'ProCyclingStats' to check his own result." How does it feel to be that reference point that cyclists look at after crossing the finish line?

[Smiles] Yes, that's a perfect example of the relationship we have with the peloton. The riders use us on a personal level for that instant feedback, to see their results, to understand what happened in the race. And then, on another level, there are the teams. Many use our stats through custom API services. Each one asks for different things: some just want to upload their riders' results to their website, but others use the data for all sorts of things, from talent scouting to tactical decisions in the race. I can't go into too much detail, of course.

Their reliability is one of their hallmarks. How do they verify that amount of data?

Much of it is still manual work. Obviously, in PCS Live Stats, we have thousands of automated statistics, but specific statistics always need to be entered for it to work. Collection is an ongoing process; we still have years of work to do to add historical data, which is very slow because information from the pre-internet era is all in books.

As the 'guardian' of all this amalgamation of data, do you think this explosion of statistics has taken the romanticism out of cycling, making it more predictable?

With or without data, in the end, you still need to be first across the finish line; you still need to have the strongest legs. Perhaps data makes winning smarter; it's not just about being fast, but also about being smart.

Let's talk about the motorhome. It's become an icon. How did the idea for this lifestyle come about?

I bought my first one in May 2017. I was bored of always being at home, behind a desk, and since I've always loved traveling, I decided to live like a digital nomad. Nowadays, internet is everywhere, so why stay home? At first, my only purpose was to travel and watch races, but during the 2017 Tour de Suisse, a friend had the idea of putting "PCS on Tour" stickers on it. That's how it all started. People recognized it, and it's become a meeting point for fans, teams, and media.

In some recent photos, you've been seen with a Fiat Panda and a motorcycle, in addition to the camper van. Have you expanded the PCS on Tour fleet?

No, no [laughs]. The Fiat Panda is my daily car in Andorra, and the motorcycle too. The thing is, we have a trailer, so we can bring the motorcycle with us in the camper.

What do you perceive about cycling from the side of the road that you don't see from home?

From home, you miss the atmosphere, everything that goes on behind the scenes: the organization of the teams, the course setup by hardworking people, and the effort of the volunteers who make the race possible. And above all, the immense passion of the people. Right now, as we speak, a 79-year-old couple on a tandem has pulled up; he's a former British professional. Yesterday, during the time trial, we spent the day with Adam and Simon Yates' parents, who are now friends of ours.

Any memorable anecdotes from the road?

[Laughs] There are so many. I think the most memorable one was at the 2023 Tour de France, because I met my girlfriend there, and we've been together for two years now. But a few days before that, I joined a VIP cycling group from an ASO sponsor. On a pretty tough climb, I saw an older man in pain and gave him a little push. At the end, my friend, the organizer, asked me if I was aware of who I'd helped. I told him no, that it was an older Frenchman wearing glasses and a helmet. He laughed and said, “You've made history. I think you're the first and only person to have pushed Bernard Hinault up a hill.”

What is the structure of PCS? How many people make up the team, and how do they decide which races to cover?

The team is made up of the two owners, five full-time employees, and seven students. We schedule the calendar every week. We started by covering only the World Tour, but have now added many more categories (1.PRO and 2.PRO, 1.1 and 2.1). The choice is simple: if the organizer provides us with good live coverage from start to finish, we can cover it. For them, it's an added value, as we build good relationships with almost all the races.

And what's the business model like? Is it true that you reject gambling advertising ?

Our income comes from three sources: web advertising, data clients, and PCS PRO subscriptions, which for 49 euros a year removes ads and gives you more statistics. Regarding gambling, we don't actually reject it; it's just that the laws of many countries restrict these ads, so you don't see them everywhere.

With the experience of creating the largest cycling database, what do you think the future holds for Big Data for enthusiasts? Will the demand for open data grow, or will large organizations tend to control it more?

We see a paradox: people don't want to share their own data, but they do want to see other people's. The key is to use data correctly so that it's accessible and acceptable. And we're achieving this, because we now see that many cyclists DO want to share their data; they want their profile to be complete. As someone once told us: "Without correct data in PCS, you're not a cyclist."

Have you considered expanding Big Data in cycling to other sports? What's next for PCS?

I can't reveal much about future ideas, but it's quite possible that we'll cover other sports in the future as well.

It seems your relationship with ASO isn't very good. Recently, they banned you from displaying their branding on your motorhome during the Tour. What happened?

Because of our growth, they say we get too much free publicity at 'their' races, of course, but on the other hand, we know that all the organizers also use our statistics. The TV commentators recognize the motorhome and talk live about how much they like our services. It affects us because we have to cover up our logo and remove the flags we placed next to the caravan [from the arrival of the advertising caravan to the passage of the sweeper car], and we may decide to visit ASO races less and focus on others. Organizations like Flanders Classics (De Ronde) or RCS (Giro) welcome us, even invite us! The Tour de Langkawi in Malaysia wants to pay for our flight and rent us a motorhome with our branding to be there. Our relationship with the other major organizers is very good.

Since the start of the Tour, has there been any improvement in the relationship with ASO?

No idea, there has been no communication.

What's your relationship like with the fans? The "Where's Wally" prank with the RV demonstrates a good rapport.

We have a large fan base because we try to be transparent and open, something that large organizations like the UCI sometimes lack. We're fans too; we don't see ourselves as traditional media outlets or analysts, and that's why I think we know what [the fans] want. We still have a long list of things we want to develop in the future. And the 'Where's Waldo?' thing is exactly that: you'll often see shots of fans or journalists watching TV and trying to locate our campervan in the landscape.

In recent years, women's cycling has taken a giant leap forward. How has this been reflected in the PCS?

We've always supported women's cycling and given it the same attention as men's races. However, unfortunately, we don't see the significant growth some media outlets are trying to portray. The number of visitors to women's races is still a fraction of what men's races achieve, and we haven't seen significant growth over the years either.

I pushed Bernard Hinault uphill, I think I'm the only one who's done it."

After so many years immersed in a sea of numbers, do you still watch the races with the passion of a fan?

The passion will never end. I love this sport. Sure, there are days when you only see the data, but most days I watch an incredible sport that so many people love, and spreading that passion is what I love most.

When you step back from it all, what are you most proud of having created? The open access to information, the community, or making your passion your life?

It's a combination of all of that... and most of all, it's a tribute to my late brother [Eric], with whom I shared this same passion for cycling.