Heart rate and power data have been at the forefront of cycling performance data for many years, but there’s a cacophony of new wearables on the market which can track much more.
The peloton is awash with monitors which measure body temperature, hydration levels, sweat rates and breathing rates on the go.
Unlike heart rate monitors, these devices protrude out of jerseys, with many noticing that Pauline Ferrand-Prévot won the Tour de France Femmes while wearing a breathing sensor.
Team Visma-Lease a Bike teammate Jonas Vingegaard has also been seen sporting one, while Tadej Pogačar has previously been spotted wearing a body temperature sensor.
UCI competition rules
Currently, the UCI allows several physiological sensors in competition, which include heart rate, sweat and breathing rate. All permitted sensors do not require insertion into the skin but instead sit directly on it.
The Tymewear breathing sensor was approved for use in competition just before the Tour de France this year. The sensor comprises a chest strap, a heart rate monitor and a strain gauge, which measures breathing rate.
Tymewear has a partnership with Team Visma-Lease a Bike, hence Ferrand-Prévot wearing its VitalPro strap.
“UCI were going to ban it, and then we were able to thread the needle because we’re not directly measuring any metabolic markers,” explains Arnar Larusson, co-founder and CEO of Tymewear.
“We’re not directly measuring CO2, we’re not directly measuring oxygen consumption, and we’re not directly measuring lactate. We’re measuring the ventilation, which is the airflow in and out of the lungs and that ticks all the criteria of not measuring any metabolic markers, which is according to the UCI rules. It just so happens that the airflow, that volume over time, is extremely representative of those things.”
The Nix Hydration Biosensor was also approved for the beginning of the 2025 season by the UCI for use in competition. A non-reusable sensor, it provides insights into a rider’s hydration level and, according to its website, is used by EF Pro Cycling teams.
In 2023, UCI permitted the FLOWBIO sweat sensor, also driven by EF Pro Cycling. The sensor works by constantly capturing and releasing sweat, with a sodium sensor which measures the activity of the sweat…
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