The UCI is planning to make GPS trackers compulsory for every rider in the peloton, according to a letter from UCI president David Lappartient, according to Sporza.
The decision follows the death of 18-year-old Muriel Furrer at the 2024 world championships in Switzerland. The junior rider crashed and lay beside the course for an hour and a half before receiving medical help, reigniting discussions about safety and monitoring in professional cycling. Sporza reports that “with a tracker her fall would have been detected,” highlighting the urgent need for real-time tracking.
Teams to know right away if something happens to a rider
The devices will most likely be mounted under the saddle. They will continuously transmit a rider’s location. So if something happens–a rider suddenly stops or sharply slows, the system sends an alert to the team car and race organizers. This ensures faster intervention and allows medical teams to reach the rider quickly.
“It will be phased in and mandatory across different categories,” Lappartient wrote in his letter. The UCI boss said that the rollout will be gradual, but ultimately universal.
Teams and race organizers have already begun experimenting with GPS technology, and several WorldTour teams, including Visma-Lease a Bike, are using trackers supplied by companies like Velon. The devices have been tested in races such as the Ronde van Lombardije, Strade Bianche, Tirreno-Adriatico, and UAE Tour. On Saturday, Wout van Aert will ride with a tracker in Milan-San Remo.
Proposals expected in coming months
While the UCI does not mandate a single supplier, all systems must meet its technical requirements. Teams are expected to submit proposals by April 30. With the trackers, it means that no rider is left alone after a crash–as was the case with Furrer.
As a race director noted, “We can fly to the moon, but we don’t know where a rider is during the race. That just cannot happen anymore.”
The international governing body tried the GPS thing in 2025…but it did not go so great.
At the Tour de Romandie Féminin, five WorldTour teams were disqualified before the start after refusing to nominate a rider to carry the device.
GPS 2.o
“Earlier this week, all affected teams sent formal letters to the UCI expressing support for rider safety. However there are some serious concerns about the unilateral imposition of a GPS tracking device to just one of the riders…
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