Professional cyclists can top 100 km/h.
asserted
cyclists → top → km
But safety has not kept pace — and people are dying
GPS trackers will be used at UCI Road World Championships in Montreal
asserted
trackers → keep → Montreal
As the world's top cyclists descend upon Montreal for the UCI Road World Championships, there's a spectre looming over the event.
asserted
cyclists → descend → event
At least 11 of their compatriots have died in professional races and training rides this year, adding to a growing tally of injuries and deaths in the elite sport.
asserted
11 → die → sport
Though safety gear is being developed alongside the evolution of bicycles that can move faster than ever before, an underlying conflict remains in the sport: at what point must safety trump speed?
asserted
safety → develop → speed
Right now, the average speed of the Tour de France winner is 43.3 km/h, set in 2026 — exactly 19 km/h faster than the average speed set by the winner 100 years ago.
asserted
speed → set → winner
On the descents, riders now reach upwards of 100 km/h.
asserted
riders → reach → km
Safety technology that might slow riders down, such as wider handlebars, are being considered by the governing body, Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), and SafeR, an international safety taskforce.
uncertain
that → slow → body
Other measures being floated include choosing safer courses, tracking riders in real-time and adopting protective equipment like airbags.
asserted
measures → float → airbags
But it has divided riders, some of whom argue that slowing bikes down goes against the spirit of professional cycling — and even those within SafeR, like Adam Hansen, have doubts.
asserted
those → divide → doubts
"It's hard to get my head around this, because that's the whole purpose of the sport, is to go
asserted
that → get → sport
," said Hansen, a former professional Australian cyclist and current president of the pro cyclists' union.
asserted
Hansen → say → union
Others, like Canada's Michael Woods — who estimates he has endured between 30 and 40 crashes — says changes are critical to prevent future fatalities.
asserted
changes → estimate → fatalities
"The bike that I'm on now versus the bike that I first started racing on [in 2010] is night and day," said Woods, whose professional racing career took him across Europe, including winning a stage of the 2023 Tour de France.
asserted
career → start → France
"The speeds that you can hit are far higher.
asserted
you → hit → that
But the rules … haven't caught up and that's made the sport far more dangerous."
asserted
sport → catch → ?
GPS trackers
Woods and Hansen believe that GPS trackers, which will be used in Montreal, should be mandatory in all races.
asserted
which → believe → races
The trackers will sit underneath the bike's saddle and can transmit real-time data to a central location so that rescuers can respond immediately in the case of a crash.
asserted
rescuers → sit → crash
Earlier this month, against the backdrop of the Aug. 14 death of 19-year-old British rider Finlay Tarling at the Volta race in Portugal, UCI "stressed the urgent need to put in place, as quickly as possible, a dedicated safety system allowing the real-time location of riders and vehicles to be tracked at all professional road cycling events."
asserted
location → stress → events
The statement also noted that "in discussions on safety, stakeholders need to move past any disagreements on certain issues and act together."
asserted
stakeholders → note → issues
Muriel Furrer's legacy
GPS trackers for pro cycling were introduced at the UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda last year following the death of Muriel Furrer.
asserted
trackers → introduce → Furrer
The 18-year-old Swiss cyclist lay critically injured for an hour and 20 minutes after she careened off the wet, leaf-strewn road into a secluded wooded area during the 2024 championships in Zurich.
asserted
she → lie → Zurich
She was airlifted to hospital and later died.
asserted
She → airlift → hospital
Woods, who was at that competition, recalls how the race continued even after Furrer's death.
"
asserted
race → recall → death
The sport's wild in that sense," he said.
asserted
he → say → sense
"When a rider passes away, it's sad.
asserted
it → pass → ?
Everyone's impacted by it, but they didn't cancel the event.
asserted
they → impact → event
"It's the same with other incidents ... where I've raced where professional riders have died [where] maybe we took things a bit easier the next day, or had a moment of silence — but the race continued."
asserted
race → race → silence
Woods retired from professional cycling last year, because he no longer felt he could race safely.
uncertain
he → retire → cycling
In March 2020, he broke his right femur during the Paris-Nice race.
asserted
he → break → race
Last year, he woke up in an ambulance with a broken collarbone and a severe concussion after crashing out at the Milano-Torino race.
asserted
he → wake → race
He's decided, however, to race one last time at the Road World Championships this week so he can end his career in Canada instead of abroad.
asserted
he → decide → Canada
While GPS trackers can ensure riders will get faster medical attention following a crash, they don't prevent injury itself.
asserted
they → ensure → injury
Airbags, meanwhile, might help.
uncertain
Airbags → help → ?
In January, UCI put out a call for airbags that could be part of a bike frame and for those that could integrate into a cyclist's clothing.
uncertain
that → put → clothing
The latter can be part of bike pants, said Hansen, and has straps around the shoulders.
asserted
Hansen → say → shoulders
"When it goes off, it actually puts a ring around your neck area, and it actually covers your collarbone," he said.
asserted
he → go → collarbone
"It really protects your spine, protects your neck ... [and] goes almost up to your helmet.
asserted
It → protect → helmet
Several prototypes are in development, he said.
asserted
he → say → development
The challenge in the past has been creating something light enough that it won't hinder a rider's speed or their movement.
asserted
it → create → speed
…and 18 more, not listed.
The Aporia
