Cycling, Gravel, and Ultra-Endurance Events

Long-distance cycling events — gran fondos, gravel races, bikepacking routes, and ultra-endurance events — span dozens to hundreds of miles, making traditional radio-based support communications challenging. LoRa mesh provides an elegant solution for both safety monitoring and participant experience.

Use Cases in Cycling Events

• SAG wagon coordination: Support vehicles tracking rider positions and routing efficiently to riders in need
• Medical team dispatch: Crash or medical event location sharing to nearest first aid support
• Course condition updates: Road hazards, weather changes, re-routes broadcast to all participants
• Family tracking: Participants' families can monitor position via community mesh map (if riders carry nodes)
• Time station check-ins: Automated check-in when rider passes a time station node

Participant Node Options

For riders, the node needs to be light, compact, and battery-efficient:

• T-Echo (30g, AAA batteries): Clips to jersey pocket or handlebar bag. 48+ hour battery on two AAA lithium batteries. E-ink display shows basic status without backlight power drain.
• RAK4631 in minimalist case: ~20g if stripped of display. Mount to handlebar stem with Gorilla tape or 3D-printed bracket.
• Phone-paired node: Node in saddlebag, phone on handlebar for map viewing. Useful if participants want messaging capability.

Event Infrastructure Layout

For a 100-mile gravel event:

• Start/finish area: Room server + base station (permanent GPS-located on map)
• Aid stations (every 20-30 miles): Fixed node at each station; powered by generator or car battery. Serves as relay and check-in point.
• Roving support vehicles (3-5): Mobile nodes in SAG vehicles. Track positions relative to riders on course.
• Course marshals at critical junctions: Mobile nodes; can relay course condition reports.

With this layout, every participant is within 1-2 hops of the nearest fixed node (every 20-30 miles + SAG vehicles filling gaps), providing reasonable coverage with modest infrastructure investment.

Privacy and Opt-In Considerations

Not all participants want to be tracked. Best practices:

• Clearly disclose tracking capability in pre-event registration materials
• Offer opt-out: participants can turn off position broadcasting while keeping messaging
• Limit position data retention: purge from map and database after event ends
• Position data for safety use only: don't share with sponsors or use for marketing