In a major step toward advancing rider safety in professional cycling, Soudal Quick-Step and AG Insurance – Soudal have joined forces with Ghent University to test and help refine a cutting-edge safety tracker designed to bring real-time data and smarter communication into the heart of the peloton.
Developed by Ghent University’s Internet and Data Science Lab, the new device combines real-time rider positioning, incident detection, and two-way communication, marking a significant evolution from current GPS-based solutions. The goal is to make elite racing not just faster or more exciting, but fundamentally safer.
Over the coming months, both teams will play an active role in testing the tracker in real-world racing and training environments, providing feedback to shape its development.
A Groundbreaking Approach to Safety
Ghent University has been at the forefront of cycling safety innovation for over four years, leading work on SafeR’s crash database and analytical tools for the UCI. These tools already help race organisers identify and mitigate risks before and after events.
However, one critical gap remains: real-time insight during a race – particularly inside the peloton. The UGent tracker aims to close that gap by providing automated alerts, proximity detection, incident reporting, and instant communication between riders, teams, and race officials.
This offers major benefits across the board: better race data for fans and broadcasters, clearer communication for team cars, smarter tools for commissaires, and deeper post-race analysis for teams and media.
Testing Timeline and Development Progress
The project has already produced a working prototype and monitoring dashboard, developed in collaboration with a hardware partner. A large-scale survey with over 500 respondents from across the cycling community – run in partnership with Belgian Cycling and Cycling Vlaanderen – has helped shape its next development phases.
At the end of June, selected riders and staff from both Soudal Quick-Step and AG Insurance – Soudal will join a dedicated workshop to test and provide feedback on the device’s design, features, and communication capabilities.
Real-world testing will begin later this summer, with further trials scheduled during the team’s December training camp in Calpe. The project aims to conclude by summer 2026, with the ultimate goal of bringing the tracker to market soon after.
Looking Ahead
Bringing the tracker to the entire professional peloton will require cooperation from national and international federations. Making it a standard – or even regulated – part of racing will be key to maximizing its impact.
Cost and funding models are still under discussion, with stakeholders exploring how best to share the investment required to deliver safer racing across all levels of the sport.
This project could mark a turning point: shifting professional cycling from reactive safety measures to proactive prevention, supported by smart data and collaboration.
Speaking of the project, Soudal Quick-Step and AG Insurance – Soudal CEO Jurgen Foré said: “The management of both our high-profile teams takes rider safety and wellbeing extremely seriously. We actively collaborate across the cycling ecosystem – with race organisers, federations such as the UCI and Belgian Cycling, and fellow teams – to drive meaningful progress on safety. At the same time, we focus on what we can do internally: from increasing rider visibility with high-visibility kit, to testing protective gear and airbags during training, and now supporting the development of UGent’s safety tracker. Our goal is clear: to help create a safer, more responsible sport and to protect the health and integrity of our riders.”
Similarly, Prof. Dr. Steven Verstockt of Ghent University said: “Technology isn’t the barrier – it’s the key. The future of cycling relies on smart, integrated solutions developed hand-in-hand with riders and teams. That’s how we make the sport safer, fairer, and better for everyone. We’re especially grateful for the time and input that Soudal Quick-Step and AG Insurance-Soudal have committed to this project – it’s a vital part of turning ideas into real-world impact.”
Photo credit: ©Wout Beel