Riders will be testing out GPS tracking devices at the Tour of Romandie this week, ahead of the safety measure becoming mandatory at the world road champions later this year.<\/p>\n
World cycling’s governing body is asking one rider from each team to wear a tracking device at the three-day women’s event<\/a> in Switzerland, beginning Friday.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n The same technology will then be used at the road world championships in Kigali, Rwanda, from Sept. 21-28, where every rider \u2014 from junior to elite level \u2014 will have to carry the device.<\/p>\n \u201cThe objective of this test is to refine the UCI’s safety tracking software and establish protocols to provide real-time data to race control, medical teams and UCI Commissaires,\u201d the UCI said in a statement<\/a>. \u201cThis system will strengthen the monitoring of rider safety during races and enable rapid response in case of incidents. This represents an important step forward in ensuring the safety of riders.”<\/p>\n At last year’s world championships, 18-year-old cyclist Muriel Furrer<\/a> died after sustaining a head injury in a crash.<\/p>\n She was competing in the junior women\u2019s event on rain-slicked roads when she crashed in a forest area south of Zurich. She reportedly lay alone for almost an hour and a half before she was discovered at the side of the road and airlifted by helicopter to the hospital.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Two years ago, Gino M\u00e4der<\/a> suffered a fatal crash at the Tour de Suisse. The 26-year-old rider went off the road and crashed into a ravine during a descent and died from his injuries the next day.<\/p>\n