CONFIRMED | UCI to test GPS tracking system in response to death of Muriel Furrer

The International Cycling Union (UCI) will test a new GPS tracking system at the Tour de Romandie Women from August 15–17, a move aimed at improving rider safety in real time. The system, developed in collaboration with SafeR, will be trialed with one rider per team wearing a GPS device. If successful, the technology will be rolled out in full at the 2025 UCI Road World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda.

The push to adopt real-time tracking technology comes in the wake of a tragedy that shook the sport last Autumn. During the junior time trial at the 2024 World Championships in Zurich, Swiss rider Muriel Furrer crashed, unnoticed for several minutes. The delay in detecting her fall may have cost her life. That incident has become a central motivator behind the UCI’s new safety initiative.

In its statement, the UCI outlined the goals of the trial: “This initiative, which is part of ongoing efforts by the UCI and SafeR to improve the safety of female riders in professional road cycling, will see one rider per team wear a GPS tracking device. The same technology will be used at the UCI 2025 Road World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda, where all riders will wear the device.”

The system is designed to provide real-time location data to race control, medical teams, and UCI commissaires, allowing for faster response in the event of crashes or other emergencies. “The objective of this test is to refine the UCI’s safety monitoring software and establish protocols to provide real-time data,” the UCI noted.

The governing body emphasised the broader implications of the project: “This represents an important step forward in ensuring the safety of female cyclists, and the UCI will continue to work closely with event organizers and all stakeholders to implement this technology more widely in the coming seasons.”

The move has been welcomed across the sport as a long-overdue evolution in race safety, especially for women’s cycling, which has historically lagged behind men’s racing in terms of resources and infrastructure. The Tour de Romandie Women, a key event on the UCI Women’s WorldTour, offers an ideal proving ground before global deployment next year.

Whether the technology can be scaled efficiently remains to be seen, but few doubt the need for innovation. The memory of Muriel Furrer casts a long shadow, and now, finally, it appears the sport is taking real steps to prevent the same from happening again.