https://www.projectfuerza.com/

1. Hunter, you are well known in the cycling market for training programmes, getting the most out of athletes / riders and working with ride data….why NFT’s? Was this a natural progression for you? Are you a fan and collector of Cycling / Digital Art?

I am a fan of art and have enjoyed buying some art over the years.   I have spent 22 years analyzing power data and many times I have thought to myself, “Wow, that’s art”, when I have seen a cool combination of data and colors.   So, when the ability came along to create digital art using this data, I jumped at it.  I knew that there would be a big audience that would love to own a piece of art of their favorite fan and also be able to see and interact with their actual power file.

1. What’s it like working with some of the leading cyclists and artists in the world? Is it difficult to choose what rides to feature and is it a completely collaborative process between the artists and riders? How much input do the riders have?

It’s been super exciting and a ton of fun.  These are the best riders in the world and to see exactly what it took them to win a stage in the Tour or the World Championship, not to mention spend some great time with them making really amazing art, it’s been so thrilling.   I chose the best races and wins from the riders to start and many of the riders have given me a list of their favorite wins, or special breakaways,  and that has been very helpful in defining the pieces of art from the start.  Then I analyze the data, look for the most exciting parts of the race and make 3-8 screenshots of it in different formats, colors, charts, so that I can create a story for the artist to begin with.  With more research on the race and feedback from the athlete, I then send that to the artist so they can use their incredible creativity and imagination to come up with a striking and interesting work of art.  Sometimes the data is the art and other times they create art and weave the data in it.   Once the art is made, then it goes back to the athlete to review and make changes if needed.  It’s a very collaborative process and time intensive.    Some works of art have over 50 hours in them easily.

3. NFT’s a very new to the cycling market, what difficulties have you faced in creating the collection?

It’s been a challenge to convince some riders to join the project and it’s also been tough to convince teams to allow the riders to be a part of the project.  There are many moving parts in a pro cyclists life and I can’t believe how many meetings I have had with lawyers, agents, team owners, etc.  I am ready to become a cycling agent or lawyer!

1. There has been some criticism of NFT’s in sports markets previously especially concerning their energy usage and potential environmental impact, are they a good fit for cycling that promotes sustainability?

Energy usage is always an issue and that’s why we selected Ethereum as our cryptocurrency.  They are committed to reducing the energy of a transaction by 99% within the year as they move from a “proof of work” to a “proof of stake” concept.   However, when you really dig into the numbers (I am a numbers guy!), you’ll find that NFT transactions are nothing compared to the energy needed by things like Netflix and Youtube.  Youtube expends over 55x more energy everyday than NFT transactions.  Netflix requires nearly 8 power plants to stream all their services, which is insane.  But, no one is talking about these giants of energy consumption.

1. Do you have a favourite piece from the collection? If so, what is it and why?

Hard to say, as each artist we have worked with, has created some just out of this world works of art.   I love what Nick Hand had done with Ryder Hesjedal’s data, in creating a “spacey” theme.  Matter of fact, I am keeping one of those for myself!

1. Do the owners of the NFT’s own the data that is featured from the rides? Can the NFT’s be sold on?

They will receive a license to interact with, view, and analyze the data on their computer.   Similar to a software license you might receive for Microsoft Word.  You don’t actually own that copy of Word, you just have a license to use it.   If you decide to sell your NFT, then we have a simple process to re-license it to the new owner.

1. In a time of rising inflation, living costs and economic crisis do you think that NFT’s are a wise investment? What added value do they offer alongside the art?

Now is a great time to invest into an NFT in my personal opinion.  ETH used to be $4400 per coin and now it’s down around $1500 per coin.   I have a feeling it will go up and I think it will overtake Bitcoin to be honest.  Eth has a more innovative software team behind it and are moving forward much more rapidly with their software.  You have to remember: While most people think of Ethereum and bitcoin, etc as cryptocurrency, what they really are is software. Once you wrap your head around that, then it’s easy to see why there is value.   With a FUERZA, the owner not only gets to interact with the data, but they get to possibly spend some time with the athletes themselves.  This could be a zoom meeting or a weekend of training, so these FUERZA experiences are really outstanding.  We have more to come in the near future as well!

8. You have some amazing pieces of art that are truly unique, both featuring riders data and in-corporating riders data in the work…do you have plans to produce art work that is more politicised about the power and benefits of cycling and what a great solution for the modern world cycling is?

That’s a great idea!   Right now, our roadmap has us coming out with more cyclist and triathlete data and then I’d love to move into the car racing world as well.   We also will be producing NFT for anyone that would like their own FUERZA.   Ride Leadville, or a Gran Fondo or some other event that’s meaningful and then send us the data, we’ll create a unique piece of art for you.   That’s coming in 2023.

9. Each art piece has a unique story, following a specific event or ride in the athletes Palmares, can you give our readers an idea of the creative process?

I spend time on each win or training ride or race that the rider did and learn about each one.   Researching, finding out small details and figuring out some unique insights from the rider as well, really helps.  I bring all those notes together and then give that to the artist.   They can then create an even more imaginative story with the rider and the art.  I am blown away everyday by the incredible skill and imagination that these artists bring to the table. It’s exciting everyday!

10. And lastly, what’s next for Project Fuerza? Limited runs, more accessibility of price points, increased rider experiences?

We are going to focus on more athlete to start and then we’ll work into other price points and more experiences.  We have the best riders in the world and we need to focus on keeping the quality really high for now.