The International Cycling Union (UCI) will test a new GPS tracking system for women of the Tour de Romandie from August 15th to 17th, which aims to improve the safety of the drivers in real time. The system developed in cooperation with Safer is tested with a driver per team with a GPS device. If successful, the technology is fully introduced at the UCI Road World Championships 2025 in Kigali, Rwanda. The urge of real-time tracking technology takes place according to a tragedy that shakes sport last autumn. During the junior time driving at the 2024 World Championships in Zurich, the Swiss rider Muriel Furrer fell unnoticed for a few minutes. The delay in recognizing your fall cost her life. This incident has become a central motivator for the new security initiative of the UCI.
In their statement, the UCI explained the goals of the experiment: “This initiative, which is part of the ongoing efforts of the UCI and safer to improve the security of female drivers in professional road cycling, will wear a driver per team a GPS tracking device. The same technology will be on the devices at UCI 2025 Road Champions in Kigali, Rwandla, Rwandla.
The system is designed in such a way that it provides real-time location data for racing control, medical teams and UCI commissioners and enables a faster reaction in the event of crashes or other emergencies. “The aim of this test is to refine the UCI safety monitoring software and establish logs to provide real -time data,” said the UCI.
The management committee emphasized the broader effects of the project: “This is an important step forward to ensure the security of female cyclists, and the UCI will continue to work closely with the organizers and everyone involved in order to implement this technology more extensive in the coming seasons.”
The move was welcomed throughout the sport as a long overdue development of race safety, especially for the cycling of women, which historically lagged behind the men's racing sports races in terms of resources and infrastructure. The Tour de Romandie Women, an important event in the UCI Women's WorldTour, will offer ideal evidence before global use next year.
It remains to be seen whether the technology can be scaled efficiently, but only a few doubt the need for innovation. The memory of Muriel Furrer throws a long shadow, and now it finally seems that the sport takes real steps to prevent it from happening again.
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