Cycling council advances GPS tracking plan for elite road races

Cycling's world governing body is moving toward real-time GPS tracking of riders and vehicles at professional road races. The UCI's Professional Cycling Council proposed a dedicated safety system that would show their locations throughout events, beginning with races on the UCI WorldTour and UCI Women's WorldTour calendars.

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BBC Sport reported that the council discussed the proposal at UCI headquarters in Aigle, Switzerland. The body includes representatives from the governing organisation, riders, race organisers and teams. Its statement described rapid implementation as an urgent need, while saying the UCI would establish protocols and a regulatory framework for using real-time tracking systems.

The proposal follows the death of British rider Fin Tarling last month after a collision with a van that had strayed onto the course during the Volta a Portugal. Portuguese authorities are still investigating the crash. BBC Sport noted that it has not been established that a lack of information about the 19-year-old's location caused the incident.

Tracking technology was used at the 2025 UCI Road World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda. That deployment followed the death of 18-year-old Muriel Furrer at the previous year's championships. Furrer crashed in woodland and was not found for more than one hour and 20 minutes before she received medical attention, according to the BBC report.

Sources cited by BBC Sport said teams can lose contact with riders until they reach the finish of stages that may exceed 200 kilometres. A team typically has one or two support vehicles following as many as eight riders, while competitors who become separated from the peloton can also move beyond the limited range of a team car's radio.

The tracking proposal is not yet final. It must go through another Professional Cycling Council meeting and then receive approval from the UCI executive committee. Other safety measures considered included standardising barriers near stage finishes, where high-speed bunch sprints can lead to multi-rider crashes. UCI president David Lappartient also called on stakeholders to set aside disagreements and work together on safety measures.