International Cycling Union steps up efforts to ensure rider safety

To help advance this goal, Switzerland's Tour de Romandie will be the testbed for the International Cycling Union's (UCI) GPS safety tracking system, which will be deployed at the Women's WorldTour stage from August 15-17.

"The aim of this trial is to refine the UCI safety monitoring software and establish protocols to provide real-time data to the race management, medical team and the International Cycling Union Commission. This system will enhance rider safety monitoring during the race and allow for a rapid response in the event of an incident," the International Cycling Union said in a statement.

The International Cycling Union steps up efforts to ensure rider safety.

Over the past few years, there have been a number of unfortunate accidents at International Cycling Union events. Notably, 18-year-old cyclist Muriel Furrer suffered a head injury after a slippery descent at the women’s junior road race in Zurich. There were no witnesses to her accident, and it is believed that there was no sign of Muriel Furrer for at least 90 minutes after the accident.

"It looks like the young lady had to wait an hour for medical treatment. I think it's really unfortunate," Spanish cyclist Juan Ayuso, a member of the WorldTeam UAE Team Emirates XRG team, told reporters at the time.

The International Cycling Union has also been heavily criticised following the Muriel Furrer incident, citing the lack of radios and other safety equipment at championship events. A few weeks ago, 19-year-old Italian cyclist Samuele Privitera died after a crash on the first stage of the Tour of Valle D'Aosta in north-west Italy. Despite emergency services being on the scene, Samuele Privitera died in hospital.

In June, the International Cycling Union announced regulatory changes as part of a comprehensive safety initiative, developed based on recommendations from SafeR (professional cycling's independent body focused on improving rider safety) and extensive consultation with riders, teams and organisers, to address safety concerns arising from rapid technological advances and significant increases in racing speeds that could impact rider safety.

In addition to the helmet and handlebar regulation changes, the joint effort will also allow each rider on each team to carry a GPS tracking device. Similar technology will be deployed at the 2025 UCI Road World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda, where all riders will carry the device.

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/lien-doan-xe-dap-quoc-te-tang-cuong-no-luc-dam-bao-an-toan-cho-nguoi-lai-20250815143251866.htm