Van Rysel, in collaboration with airbag specialist In&motion, has developed a new wearable airbag system integrated directly into a race-ready skinsuit for road cyclists. The technology is currently undergoing final validation on professional riders ahead of a planned consumer release within the next two years.
Developed following a call from the UCI, pro cycling's governing body, the gear aims to protect riders traveling at high speeds. The system targets the central core, cervical zone, and spinal line—areas not covered by standard helmets.
Lightweight protection technology
The skinsuit weighs approximately 700 grams, with the airbag components accounting for 500 grams. Van Rysel claims this makes the unit significantly lighter than the airbag systems currently used in MotoGP.
Like its motorcycle counterparts, the system utilizes an impact-detection algorithm. The airbag deploys within 60 milliseconds of sensing a crash.
Engineers designed the skinsuit to be aerodynamic and heat-dissipating. The fabric also utilizes abrasion-resistant materials to reduce the risk of road rash and surface-level skin injuries.
“Behind every race number, there’s a human being and sadly it is still widely accepted that a rider can lose everything in a fraction of a second due to a crash,” said Van Rysel product manager Jocelyn Bar.
Bar believes the technology will eventually become as fundamental to the sport as the helmet. “What helmets represented 20 years ago, we think Airbag can represent today,” Bar said.
While the current version focuses on the upper body, the company stated it will explore more extensive protection in the future.
