The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) expresses regret in an official statement that some teams departing for the Tour de Romandie Féminin have refused to comply with race rules regarding the implementation of GPS locators as a test for a new safety system. The test is taking place during the three-stage UCI Women's WorldTour event.

The decision of these teams to oppose the event-specific rules is surprising and undermines the cycling community's efforts to ensure the safety of all road cyclists by developing this new technology.

As communicated in the event's specific regulations and in accordance with UCI Regulations articles 1.3.073 and 2.12.007/3.5.3, teams were required to designate a rider on whose bike the GPS locator would be fixed. Teams were provided with additional explanations during the pre-event Sporting Directors meeting. The UCI regrets that some teams opposed the test by not nominating a rider to carry the location device and thus chose to be excluded from the Tour de Romandie Féminin. In light of this situation, the UCI will evaluate whether further measures are justified in accordance with the UCI Regulations.

The test details were communicated on August 7 and in a detailed pre-race statement. We recall that this test involves one cyclist per team carrying a 63-gram GPS location device during the three stages (15-17 August) of the Swiss UCI Women's WorldTour stage race. The same technology will be implemented at the 2025 UCI Road World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda, where all riders will carry the device.

The decision to implement this GPS safety location technology test was made by SafeR, the structure dedicated to safety in men's and women's road cycling, bringing together representatives from all road cycling stakeholders: organizers (International Association of Cycling Race Organizers - AIOCC), teams (International Association of Professional Cycling Groups - AIGCP), cyclists (Professional Cyclists Association - CPA, and CPA Women).

The test's objective is to strengthen rider safety monitoring during races and enable rapid response in case of incidents. The initiative is part of the UCI's ongoing efforts to protect cyclist safety, with broader implementation of this technology planned for upcoming seasons.

The three different stage formats of the Tour de Romandie Féminin – individual time trial, point-to-point, and circuit – make the event ideal for testing the system developed by its timing partner, Swiss Timing, which is also the Tour de Romandie Féminin's provider. The UCI has worked with organizers to ensure smooth test execution and efficiency and thanks them for their involvement in ensuring cyclist safety. It is regrettable that some teams' actions will impact this important international event.

The teams that refused to participate in the GPS location technology test – and are thus excluded from the Tour de Romandie Féminin – are:

- Canyon//Sram zondacrypto-

- EF Education – Oatly

- Lidl – Trek

- Team Picnic PostNL

- Team Visma Lease a Bike

It should be noted that most of these teams are part of the Velon organization, which owns its own data transmission system and is working on developing its own GPS location system.

The UCI's priority is to ensure rider safety. It works with the entire cycling family towards this goal, and collaboration with most stakeholders is positive and constructive. It is deplorable to witness some teams' refusal to move forward together to protect rider safety, and the UCI condemns their lack of cooperation.