What separates elite athletes from the rest of us? We see the physical power it takes to climb a sheer rock face or navigate treacherous rapids. But the real story is often in their mental preparation, and for some, that clarity starts long before the challenge itself. It starts on the road that gets them there.
How Does a Long Drive Impact an Athlete's Focus?
Speaking with colleagues, and friends who enjoy extreme sports, one thing they all agreed on was the less energy spent leading up to an event, the more focus they had when they arrive. So, we reached out to two athletes, Matthias Weger and William Bosi with an idea.
They perform at the highest levels, where mental clarity can help give them that edge. And both athletes were preparing to take on specific challenges. Matthias was aiming to defend his kayaking title at the world's largest extreme sports event, Ekstremsportveko festival. William, a renowned rock-climber, intended to take on the Three Degrees of Separation in southeastern France, a demanding climbing route featuring dynamic movements outside his usual speciality.
What Was the Experiment?
Our idea was to follow their progress towards their individual challenges, and let them use a Ford Kugaand Ford Puma1 as they travelled across Europe using BlueCruise2 hands-free highway driving technology, to help make their cross-country road trip on the motorways easier and more enjoyable. BlueCruise is a Level 2 driver assistance systemwhich allows you to drive hands-free on designated highways with your eyes on the road, as the system manages the steering, braking and accelerating.
To bring this to life for people on social media across Europe, we created videos of the two athletes mentally rehearsing and visualising the tasks ahead while keeping their eyes on the road, arriving focused and ready to perform at their best.
We used a series of cinematic match cuts that seamlessly transition between moments inside the vehicle and moments during performance. A tightening grip becomes a kayaking manoeuvre. A moment of concentration in the driver's seat becomes focused on the rock face. The result is a visual representation of how the mind prepares before the body acts.
Working with both Matthias and William to get those shots was a great experience. I worked around the music industry previously, and it struck me just how easy these athletes were to create with in comparison. They didn’t mind if we had to get them to repeat a shot again, they never moaned. I guess it’s because they’re doing what they love.
How Does BlueCruise Help with Mental Preparation?
As Matthias told me: “There are important decisions to make every single moment, and often those decisions determine whether we get back safely and healthy or not. Having BlueCruise assist us on those journeys helps save energy and keep a fresh mind for what’s ahead.”
For athletes like Matthias and William, the competition begins long before they reach the starting line — it starts on the road. While one journey ended in a podium place in kayaking and the other in a hard-won personal victory, both showed that arriving with a clear mind is its own triumph. By easing the strain of the drive, BlueCruise helps them do more than just get to their destination; it helps them arrive ready to push the limits of what's possible.
Ford has now loaned them BlueCruise enabled vehicles for a longer term and I can’t wait to see what feats those vehicles take Matthias and William on to next.
Yoann Collaud is a creative at Born Social, an agency that works with Ford Europe. This is a Ford From the Road Europe story.
What to Read Next
1Ford Kuga and Ford Puma are not available in the U.S.
2Available feature on select vehicles. BlueCruise requires an active plan or trial — see ford.com/bluecruise or lincoln.com/technology/bluecruise for details. Terms apply. BlueCruise is a driver-assist feature and does not replace safe driving, driver’s attention, judgment, and need to control the vehicle. Only remove hands in a hands-free Blue Zone. Always watch the road and be prepared to resume control. See Owner’s Manual for details and limitations.
