“For us it is all a question of safety” - Tour de Suisse 2025 introduces GPS tracking and enhanced route analysis in major safety overhaul

In a significant move to enhance rider safety, the organisers of the 2025 Tour de Suisse have announced several new measures ahead of this year’s race, including the introduction of an advanced GPS-based tracking system.

The decision comes in the wake of tragic incidents that have shaken the sport. In 2023, Swiss rider Gino Mäder lost his life following a high-speed crash during the Tour de Suisse. Just a year later, at the 2024 UCI World Championships in Zurich, Muriel Furrer also died after a crash, further fuelling calls for improved safety standards in professional cycling.

Furrer’s death occurred during particularly shocking circumstances, as she lay isolated in the woods next to where she had initially crashed before someone spotted her. This prompted serious questions to the UCI, and the sport as a whole, as to how they did not react sooner, or why they did not realise she was missing.

Tour de Suisse race director Olivier Senn outlined the steps being taken in an interview with Cycling Pro Net, highlighting a shift towards greater oversight and expert involvement.

"We have taken several precautions. First of all, all the safety measures we will adopt will be verified by external experts who will analyse our documents and decision-making processes with an independent perspective. We have also reorganised the risk analysis of the route. In the past, there were one or two people who had this task, but now there will be five people.

“They will study each stage, identify any possible risk points and take measures to reduce the dangers. In particular, we will have to identify the curves that will be taken at high speed to take the appropriate measures to secure them. The plan is to place workers near those curves, in addition to using protection and informing the teams in advance in order to minimise the risks.”

A central component of this year’s safety revamp is the rollout of a new GPS monitoring system. All bikes will be fitted with small tracking devices designed to detect irregularities such as sudden speed changes, route deviation, or prolonged stationary periods.

"We hope that everyone will decide to use this system. All bikes will be equipped with a small tracker that will sound an alarm in the event of particular anomalies, such as the bike remaining stationary for 30 seconds, leaving the route or rapidly changing speed. In these cases we will be immediately informed and will be able to react. All this information will be managed by the Security Command Center that will keep an eye on the entire race.”

However, the GPS initiative has not been universally welcomed within the peloton. Some teams have raised concerns over how the collected data might be used, particularly fears it could be exploited commercially.

"There are doubts about the possibility that the data collected will be used for commercial purposes. So it was decided that the organizers cannot make these GPS systems mandatory. For us it is all a question of safety, not commercial. We have introduced the possibility of not using this system, but those who do so will assume the risks.”

With pressure mounting on race organisers across the calendar to protect riders more effectively, the Tour de Suisse's 2025 approach signals a more comprehensive and tech-integrated model. Whether teams will widely adopt the new systems remains to be seen, but the message from organisers is clear: rider safety is the priority, and the tools to improve it are finally being put in place.

Hopefully, we will see a safe race in Switzerland for the peloton next month, and in all the races going forward.