Why did five teams refuse to install the GPS required by the UCI?

The 2025 Tour de Romandie Féminin started marked by controversy. Five teams (Lidl-Trek, Visma-Lease a Bike, Canyon-SRAM Zondacrypto, EF Education-Oatly, and Picnic PostNL) were disqualified before the start for refusing to comply with the UCI's order to install a new GPS tracking device on their bikes. But why did this happen?

"Collaboration, not coercion": the five teams explain why they rejected the UCI's GPS

The international organization had presented this pilot project as an advance in safety, aimed at providing real-time data to the commissaires, the organization, and medical services, with a view to the Road World Championships in Kigali, where all riders will carry a similar device. However, the way it was attempted to be implemented generated a clash with several teams in the peloton.

The teams argued that they were not opposed to improving safety, but questioned the way the UCI imposed the system. According to the specific test regulations, each team had to choose a single rider to carry the device, something that the teams considered unfair and discriminatory. "The team will not select a rider to carry the device, as that would put her at a disadvantage compared to others, which is clearly discriminatory," they pointed out in a letter sent to the UCI.

Another contentious point was the legal responsibility in case of technical problems or accidents. The teams refused to let their mechanics handle the devices and made it clear that if the UCI insisted, it should be their own staff who assumed the installation and maintenance "under their full responsibility." As they explained in their statement: "We would not choose a rider, nor install, remove, or maintain the device. The UCI or its partner were free to select a rider and install the device under their own responsibility if they believed they had the right to do so."

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In addition, the teams pointed out that there is already an alternative tracking system developed by Velon, operational throughout the peloton and tested in major races. They claimed to have offered it to the UCI as a collaboration, but the organization preferred to move forward unilaterally. "Despite our cooperation and the existence of a proven and collaborative safety tracking system, successfully tested in other major races, the UCI has decided to impose this measure without clear consent, threatening disqualification and now excluding us from the competition," they denounced.

The response from the federation was unequivocal. The UCI described the teams' refusal as "surprising" and maintained that "it undermines the efforts of the entire cycling family to ensure the safety of the riders." According to the organization, the device weighing just 63 grams is key to advancing protocols that allow for a quick response to falls or disappearances, such as the one that cost the life of young Muriel Furrer in 2024, when she went unlocated for over an hour after an accident at the junior World Championships in Zurich.

In a statement, the UCI assured: "It is deplorable to witness the refusal of certain teams to move forward together to protect the safety of cyclists."

The disagreement left 30 cyclists out of the race, including heavyweight names like Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon-SRAM), Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek), or Canadians Isabella Holmgren and Magdeleine Valliè. The peloton thus lost several of its favorites just before the start of the opening time trial.

While the UCI insists that the implementation of GPS is an unavoidable step in safety evolution, the affected teams demand real dialogue and clear rules. "We are always at the forefront of making cycling a safer sport, but this must be achieved through collaboration, not coercion," they concluded in their joint statement.

What happened in Romandie highlights a growing tension between the interests of the international federation and professional teams, who demand to be heard in decisions that directly affect the safety of cyclists.