The UCI has confirmed the introduction of a GPS rider tracking system at the Road Worlds Championships in Rwanda next week (September 21-28) to help locate riders if they crash and are not seen by race officials.
All riders in all categories will be equipped with a GPS tracking device at every event at the Worlds, with the tracking system enabling full monitoring of rider positions and speeds.
The system will hopefully avoid a repeat of Muriel Furrer's tragic death at the 2024 World Championships in Switzerland after she crashed into trees and was not seen by race officials or medical services.
The GPS tracking system will be in place in all road races, individual time trials, and team time trials in both men's and women's pelotons at the elite, under-23 and junior levels of racing in Rwanda.
The UCI has previously tested the system at the Tour de Romandie Féminin in August with one rider per team equipped with the device. However, the test didn't go fully to plan after five teams were disqualified on the first day of racing following a dispute over the GPS devices.
Visma-Lease a Bike, Canyon-Sram Zondacrypto, EF Education-Oatly, Picnic-PostNL, and Lidl-Trek were disqualified from the race after they disagreed with the UCI over various aspects of the system's implementation – including safety, consent, and liability.
The implementation of the technology is expected to go ahead without any similar disputes in Rwanda, however, as the races are managed by the UCI and will be contested by national federations rather than professional teams.
"The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has confirmed it will deploy a GPS rider tracking system to enhance rider safety at the 2025 UCI Road World Championships, which will be held in Kigali, Rwanda, from 21 to 28 September," the UCI announced as the first riders arrived in the Rwanda capital Kigali for Sunday's opening time trials.
"This initiative is part of ongoing efforts of the UCI and SafeR to enhance the safety of professional road cyclists. The GPS safety tracking technology to be used in Rwanda was tested during the three stages of the Tour de Romandie Féminin, in Switzerland, which enabled it to be refined."
The system will allow the UCI to fully monitor riders across all races in Rwanda, allowing for swift reaction in the event of a crash.
"This system, operated from the UCI Road World Championships control centre, will enable real-time monitoring of data regarding the position and speed of the entire peloton, thus allowing for immediate identification of any unusual situations, such as a rider suddenly stopping on the course," the UCI stated.
"In such a case, the rider's exact position will be transmitted to the relevant parties in the convoy – organisers, UCI Commissaires, medical and security services – so that appropriate measures can be taken without delay."
UCI President David Lappartient hailed the introduction of the system and thanked those who have contributed to its development.
"The UCI, together with SafeR and in close collaboration with all stakeholders of professional road cycling, is constantly working to improve the safety of riders. The introduction of a GPS safety tracking system for riders is important and necessary progress in this regard," Lappartient said.
"Thanks to this system, any incident or accident that might have gone unnoticed can be quickly identified, and it will be possible to assist the person concerned as quickly as possible by mobilising those already on the ground and the emergency services.
"I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the development of this new safety device, as well as the National Federations that will inaugurate it during the 2025 UCI Road World Championships in Kigali."
Subscribe to Cyclingnews to unlock unlimited access to our coverage of the first-ever UCI Road World Championships on African soil. Our team of journalists will bring you all the major storylines, in-depth analysis, and more directly from the action in Rwanda as the next rainbow jerseys are decided. Find out more.
