Nix Approved by UCI
Nix Approved by UCI
The Nix Hydration Biosensor is now approved for in-competition use
Effective January 2025, Nix Biosensors, the creator and producer of the Nix Hydration Biosensor, is thrilled to announce its approval from the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) for use in competitive cycling events. This decision is effective beginning with the 2025 season.
What is UCI?
The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is the world governing body of cycling, recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). They are headquartered in Aigle, Switzerland in the World Cycling Centre (WCC). There are currently 205 National Federations.
In 2024, the top UCI cycling teams included UAE Team Emirates, Team Visma - Lease a Bike, Soudal Quick-Step, Lidl-Trek, Red Bull-BORA – hansgrohe.
Importance of UCI Approval
This milestone marks a significant achievement for Nix Biosensors, as UCI teams are now permitted to integrate the Nix Biosensor and corresponding Nix Pro app into their hydration strategies during UCI races, whereas previously it was only permitted in training. This is a critical advantage, as race conditions can significantly differ from training conditions, giving rise to dramatically different biomarker values. Real-time hydration data empowers early intervention, allowing for adjustments to be made before performance-impairing levels of dehydration set in. This is even more valuable in staged races, where short recovery times and cumulative effects of dehydration from one day to the next can potentially derail an athlete’s performance, showcasing how staying ahead of hydration and ensuring quicker recovery times can offer a competitive advantage.
The importance of such real-time monitoring was underscored by multiple dehydration-related incidents during the record-breaking heat of the 2024 Tour de France. Several athletes including Mark Cavendish, Michele Gazzoli and Alexis Vuillermoz had to drop out of stages due to heat exhaustion and dehydration, highlighting the urgent need for effective hydration management strategies during high-stakes competitions.
Maximizing Nix Pro
Nix Biosensors has been at the forefront of revolutionizing hydration monitoring in sports, supporting teams like EF Pro Cycling with advanced technology that provides real-time insights into fluid losses, electrolyte levels, and hydration status. Nix Pro empowers coaches by providing real-time insights and alerts on individual hydration status in a single dashboard, allowing for proactive intervention to prevent performance loss and heat-related injury. The platform also performs trend and correlation analysis across different environments, exertion types and intensities to elucidate key patterns and differences day to day, or subject to subject. Using these data, Nix Pro delivers accurate and personalized recommendations for optimal electrolyte and fluid intake required for future sessions to maintain safety and performance across the full team.
Nix Biosensors is committed to empowering athletes with the tools they need to optimize their performance, and the UCI approval signifies a new era of enhanced hydration management in competitive cycling.
“EF Pro Cycling places great importance on hydration to ensure peak performance. We have tested several hydration sensors in recent years, and have found Nix’s platform to be very accurate and easy to use. Our excitement about the technology led us to roll it out for all athletes across both the men’s and women’s teams in our continual effort to gain every edge we can for EF Pro Cycling.”
Dr. Kevin Sprouse, the Director of Sports Science at EF Pro Cycling
Other Sensors Approved by UCI
This approval joins the ranks of other products approved for use in UCI competitions. Josh Ross, at Velo News, details the other training tools that do, and those that don't meet the strict UCI approvals. Most notably, the CORE sensor which monitors real time body temperature is okay for competition.