The UCI expels six teams for rejecting their new tracking device

The 2025 edition of the Women's Tour de Romandie will start without six of its main teams, including Visma - Lease a Bike and Picnic PostNL, after a dispute with the International Cycling Union regarding the mandatory implementation of a new geolocation system during the race.

Six teams expelled from the Women's Tour de Romandie for refusing to install the new UCI tracking system

The UCI had announced in early August a pilot project to introduce this device, aimed at improving the safety and immediate location of cyclists in case of an accident. The initiative was partly a response to the tragic death of the young Swiss Muriel Furrer, 18, who in 2024 fell during the junior World Championship in Zurich and remained unlocated for over an hour after veering off into a wooded area.

The involved teams, Lidl-Trek, Canyon SRAM, EF Education Oatly, AG Insurance Soudal, Visma Lease a Bike, and Picnic PostNL, refused to comply with the mandatory installation, citing concerns about liability in case of incidents and defending the investments already made in the Velon system, which operates very similarly to the one proposed by the UCI.

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According to several sources, the teams tried to reach an agreement by proposing that the new device be used by all cyclists and not just one representative from each team, and that the installation be done by UCI personnel instead of the teams' mechanics. The lack of understanding ultimately led to their exclusion from the Swiss race.

The measure will also affect prominent international cyclists, such as Canadians Isabella Holmgren (Lidl-Trek) and Magdeleine Vallières (EF Education-Oatly), as well as Simone Boilard (Uno-X) and Olivia Baril (Movistar), who will be deprived of participating in one of the most important events on the women's calendar.