Globalstar Europe Satellite Services Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Globalstar Inc. (NYSE American: GSAT) has announced that competitors and support personnel at this summer’s Graubünden Swiss Epic mountain bike race will once again rely on SPOT satellite messengers for GPS tracking and supporting riders in the case of an emergency or injury.
The Swiss Epic takes place from August 20 to 24, 2019, and covers 358 km., including 11,900 m of arduous uphill climbing. Now in its sixth year, competitors include amateur and professional two-person teams.
More than 300 two-rider teams will use small, rugged SPOT Gen3 satellite trackers, allowing followers and support staff to track each team’s location every 2½ minutes using the Epic Series App. In addition, 20 vehicles including motorbikes, quad bikes, a helicopter, an ambulance, eBikes, and logistic vehicles will be equipped with SPOT Trace asset trackers.
In the case of an incident, the rider can press SPOT’s one-touch SOS button to instantly send their GPS location to race organizers who can promptly initiate a rescue. By pinpointing the exact location where help is needed, the rescue team can swiftly determine the most appropriate vehicle to reach the rider, and the best route, which is an important consideration given that much of the terrain is virtually inaccessible.
The SPOT Gen3s are customized for the Swiss Epic to allow riders to alert officials specifically if they are injured and withdrawing from the race, or to request a support vehicle without medical help.
Felix Eichenberger, CEO of Swiss Epic, commented that it’s important to every rider and every support person to have a world-renowned partner with such deep expertise and capability. Having relied on SPOT previously,the organization knows it can trust Globalstar again to provide the dependability and reach that is needed. Swiss Epic takes all necessary safety precautions to keep the risk to the riders low, but it’s comforting to know that SPOT is ready for any situation.
A spokesperson for the medical team at Air Zermatt said that SPOT’s trackers reduce the risk to a minimum during a mountain bike stage race like the Swiss Epic. Because the SPOT Gen3 tracker delivers life-saving communications by using 100% satellite technology, the company can track riders even when in the midst of the Swiss Alps. This makes oAir Zermatt's work much easier and accelerates any possible rescue enormously.
Gavan Murphy, Globalstar Director of Marketing, added that the firm is proud to, once again, support the Swiss Epic team in one of the most hotly contested mountain bike races in the world. This is a further testament to SPOT’s established ability to deliver reliable, ubiquitous safety and communications to users wherever their sporting adventures take them.