Can Rider Airbags and Licenses Make Pro Cycling Safer?

In this episode of the Velo Podcast, host Mike Levy sits down with tech editors Alvin Holbrook and Josh Ross to tackle one of cycling's hottest debates: how do we make professional racing safer?

Jim Cotton brought up the valuable question of whether or not skills tests and rider airbags – two suggested solutions to make pro cycling safer – would actually make cycling safer for folks. Bib shorts equipped with automatically inflating airbags are proven in MotoGP to protect riders during high-speed crashes, but are they practical for the pro peloton? What about a licensing system, one that CPA president Adam Hansen has hinted at in the past?

The team discusses weight penalties, comfort concerns over long stages, and whether clothing sponsors would embrace the technology. Further, they debate whether proficiency tests make sense for athletes who live on their bikes, what such courses should teach, and whether the bureaucratic hurdles are worth the potential safety gains.

Finally, the crew discusses their predictions for new gravel bikes that will be predicted in 2026, as well as what gravel bike trends Alvin hopes fall by the wayside in the new year. Is there a new Specialized Crux coming, and if so, how different will it be in the future? There are nine in total, and we talk about the biggest and best of them all.

Want to join Josh and Levy at their group ride? See the info here.

See previous episodes of the Velo Podcast here.

Further reading:

• 9 New Gravel Bikes We Predict Will Be Updated in 2026
• Why Skills Tests and Rider Airbags Might Actually Solve Pro Cycling's Safety Crisis
• Don't Buy Your Kid a Crappy Bike for Christmas

00:00 Intro

6:10 Are airbags in bib shorts going to make things safer?

28:10 Solutions off the cuff

32:45 Is a ‘Super License’ a good idea?

41:00 New gravel bike predictions for 2026