The UCI Is Coming for the Trolls

Online haters, be warned. The UCI is looking for you.

Cycling’s governing body has rolled out a new system to clamp down on online trolls who abuse or threaten riders.

In 2026, the UCI will use an A.I.-driven platform that can trawl riders’ social media accounts and inboxes for sensitive keywords and emojis before escalating them for further moderation.

Under the scheme, the most vicious trolls could be reported to law authorities.

The UCI confirmed its new cyber policing policy last week in an update that also assessed the controversial yellow card system and outlined plans to investigate rider airbags.

“Online communication comes with certain risks that the UCI will not tolerate when it comes to the wellbeing of riders, their entourage, and cycling’s stakeholders,” said UCI director general Amina Lanaya.

“With this, we are sending out a clear message that nobody will get away with this sort of harassment in our sport,” she said.

From throwing chips to posting hate

It’s an intriguing and necessary move by the governing body.

Rider abuse has extended far beyond idiots throwing chips, beer and god knows what else at superstar riders while standing at muddy roadsides.

In today’s smartphone era, haters can express their “views” by trolling Strava and Instagram accounts from the comfort of their couch.

Last year, Bryan Coquard’s inbox exploded with so much abuse after he crashed Jasper Philipsen out of the Tour de France that his team threatened legal action against the haters.

Just a few days later, Uno-X climber Tobias Johannessen said he was “terrified” by the torrent of rage directed his way after he took down Tadej Pogačar in the final of the Tour’s romp through Toulouse.

“I would not wish anyone the amount of threats I get in my inbox,” Johannessen said last July. “This feels very scary.”

And that was only the start of what was an ugly summer for cycling social media.

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Demi Vollering were whacked by internet “weight watchers” at the Tour de France Femmes, and Sarah Gigante endured a deluge of patronizing “man-splaining” on the topic of her tentative descending.

There are countless examples of riders being targeted by online abuse – and no doubt thousands more cases that we don’t know about.

The ‘Threat Matrix’

So how does the UCI plan to police social media?

The governing body is loading up the “Threat Matrix,” a system developed by the London-based Signify Group. The platform is already in use in pro soccer, rugby, tennis, and skiing.

The “Threat Matrix” is designed to safeguard individuals by moderating comments left on their social media posts.

The UCI appears to have also opted into an extra service that trawls inboxes and DMs in a move that will have riders worried about sharing their power data in all sorts of bother.

A post on The Observer explains that Signify has “developed 20 different categories of keywords, emojis, and images that can be problematic or abusive, ranging from comments about body image to racism, sexism, sexual violence, and death threats.”

Those triggers are identified by an A.I. tool and then reported to human analysts for further investigation.

According to the UCI, the worst cases will be reported to the relevant social media platform and, if necessary, to law enforcement authorities.

So be warned.

If you’re stalking a pro on Strava or scrolling the holiday snaps on their Instagram feed, be nice.