UCI Moves Toward Real-Time GPS Tracking Across Professional Road Races

What happened: The Union Cycliste Internationale is moving toward real-time GPS tracking for riders and race vehicles across professional road cycling, starting with the men's and women's WorldTour. In a statement after the Professional Cycling Council met in Aigle, Switzerland, the UCI said it would prepare protocols and a regulatory framework for using tracking systems during races.

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCqxyntd7Bc

The proposal is not yet final. The UCI said decisions from the council's September 1-2 meeting will go to its Management Committee in Montreal from September 20-22. They will take effect only if that governing body confirms them, leaving the precise timing and operating details still to be settled.

Why it matters: The system is intended to give race officials, medical teams and security personnel a live view of where riders and vehicles are located. The UCI described the technology as a dedicated safety measure and said it wants implementation across all professional road events as quickly as possible, with WorldTour races the first priority.

The discussion followed the death of British rider Finlay Tarling, 19, after an accident during stage eight of the Volta a Portugal on August 14. UCI president David Lappartient, Professional Cycling Council president Tom Van Damme and council members paid tribute to Tarling at the opening of the meeting. The governing body said rider safety, and GPS tracking in particular, then occupied a large part of the talks.

The technology has already been used at championship level. According to the UCI, riders in every category carried its GPS safety system at the 2025 Road World Championships in Kigali. The same approach is planned for the 2026 championships in Montreal and future editions, providing an existing model as officials develop broader rules for the professional calendar.

The council did not produce a joint proposal from cycling's different stakeholder groups. The UCI nevertheless said disagreements, including commercial interests, should not prevent action on safety. Alongside tracking, it proposed gradually requiring compliant finishing barriers at WorldTour events from 2027. Both measures remain subject to the Management Committee's approval in Montreal.