'In cycling, you had to choose between performance and safety' - Van Rysel announces a new airbag-equipped aero skinsuit

Images showing a rider wearing and testing a Van Rysel airbag skinsuit — (Image credit: Van Rysel)

Van Rysel has unveiled its own fully integrated airbag skinsuit today. This announcement follows the Aerobag Airbag technology that was announced in early January, as well as the UCI's opening of a consultation process for the technology in late February.

Van Rysel claims there have been 1300 fractures in the last six years in professional cycling competition (source unknown), and the 2026 pro cycling injury list already makes for a sobering read. Injury rates are high in pro cycling with minimal safety protection for riders.

Van Rysel says 'Project Airbag' reflects its ambition to help drive the next standard in cycling protection, and the system is being developed in collaboration with the Decathlon CMA CGM and Van Rysel-Roubaix squads.

The Van Rysel Airbag tech differs from the Aerobag setup in that it is integrated into a specific skinsuit. In contrast, the Aerobag airbag system can be retrofitted to a range of cycling clothing and accessories. The skinsuit also uses abrasion-resistant materials, which have been available for some time in cycling kit, but haven't yet been fully embraced.

The skinsuit itself has also been developed with help from Swiss Side, using CFD and wind tunnel testing to replicate the performance of a regular WorldTour skinsuit.

Matching race kit requirements has likely been a sticking point in improving safer cycling clothing for some time. Weight, comfort, aerodynamics, thermal efficiency, and let's face it, style are all key factors when it comes to skinsuits and performance-oriented cycling kit, and any new safety tech needs to be comfortable, aero and lightweight.

Van Rysel says thermoregulation has been a key area of focus, alongside aerodynamics. However, no results or claims have been given in the brand's press material, and the brand says validation in this area is still ongoing.

Van Rysel says its airbag skinsuit is fully functional and that it is 'in final validation with professional riders ahead of potential race deployment.' While we do not expect to see it rolled out for Paris-Roubaix this weekend, due to the UCI consultation process being ongoing, it's another indication that airbag technology may not be far away for racers.

Van Rysel's airbag tech has been developed with In&motion, a US-based firm specialising in airbag technology for motorbike, equestrian, and snow sports.

The CEO of In&motion, Remi Thomas, explained, “The strength of our technology lies in the scale and quality of the data we have accumulated over the years, with hundreds of millions of kilometres captured across high-intensity environments such as MotoGP and ski-racing. This dataset fuels machine learning algorithms capable of analysing rider dynamics in real time."

The Van Rysel Airbag system is powered by an algorithm "trained on 450 million kilometres of data," likely from the motorbike world and which analyses rider dynamics up to 1000 times a second to help identify when a rider is crashing.

Deploying in a claimed 60 milliseconds, the suit has a claimed target weight of 700 grams, with 500 grams of this weight being the airbag system.

The Airbag focuses on three body areas: the central core, cervical zone and spinal line. Focusing protection on the thorax and rib cage, neck and back, though the brand says more zones may be explored over time.

The brand's press material doesn't go into technical specifics, but looking at the In&motion website, its system appears to use inflatable airbag units, inflated with a 'gas generator' - likely some kind of cartridge - with the system being operated by a control unit.

Van Rysel says it aims to make the technology available for anyone to purchase within the next two years, and whilst a skinsuit product is more race-specific, the fact that another company is investing in airbag technology for cyclists indicates that we aren't a million miles away from some real advancements in safer cycling kit and equipment for cyclists.

TOPICS

Tom joined the Cyclingnews team in late 2022 as a tech writer. Despite having a degree in English Literature he has spent his entire working life in the cycling industry in one form or another. He has over 10 years of experience as a qualified mechanic, with the last five years before joining Cyclingnews being spent running an independent workshop. This means he is just as happy tinkering away in the garage as he is out on the road bike, and he isn’t afraid to pull a bike apart or get hands-on with it when testing to really see what it’s made of.

He has ridden and raced bikes from an early age up to a national level on the road and track, and has ridden and competed in most disciplines. He has a keen eye for pro-team tech and enjoys spotting new or interesting components in the wild. During his time at Cyclingnews, Tom has already interviewed some of the sport's biggest names including Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogačar and Alberto Contador. He's also covered various launches from brands such as Pinarello, Ridley, Specialized and more, tackled the Roubaix Challenge sportive aboard his own rim-brake Cannondale SuperSix Evo, tested over 20 aero helmets in the wind tunnel, and has created helpful in-depth buying advice relating to countless categories from torque wrenches to winter clothing.