When double winner Tadej Pogačar competes in the Tour de France this summer, those with eagle eyes might spot something new in his DMT Pogi cycling shoes. The elite cyclist is the first to carry his ‘in case of emergency’ (ICE) details on a contactless Avery Dennison NFC (near field communication) tag within his footwear. With pro and amateur cyclists alike preferring to ride as light as possible, having essential information like medical records and emergency contact details on a tiny chip that always travels with them means that if the worst happens first responders are just one tap away from getting the information they need to act quickly.

After the Tour de France ends, DMT Cycling will look to extend the use of NFC more broadly across its range and will be working with ICE-KEY, an Avery Dennison partner and its CEO Roberto Simonelli who has been promoting the safety of athletes for years through the use of NFC technology. Simonelli pioneered the collaboration with DMT and Tadej Pogačar which has been a catalyst for raising awareness on the issue of safety for cyclists.

Nicola Minali, product creator at DMT Cycling explains, “Tadej is pioneering a ‘first’ for cycling which we are looking forward to introducing across our range. Cyclists of all abilities want to take as little as possible out on a ride with them but they also want to ensure their own safety. Embedding NFC within shoes is the perfect solution and means that the cyclist never need worry they have left such important details at home.”

Connected clothing is gaining prominence more broadly. Avery Dennison TexTraceTM for instance means that RFID technology can be integrated into apparel garments and live for the life of the product. It means that users can verify if items are genuine and in the future we may even see smart washing machines rejecting items that are set on the wrong wash cycle.

Filippo Cerchio, director inlay sales EMEA at Avery Dennison concludes, “This latest development with DMT cycling is just one of a number of exciting developments that is seeing the same technology used for contactless payments being used for new use cases NFC has been used in the pharmaceutical industry to authenticate medicine and provide visibility into ingredients and dosage guidance. The connection with ‘in case of emergency’ data, in this case specific to cyclists, creates a huge opportunity to improve the effectiveness of medical support when required.”