18-year-old dead

Paramedics only found the talented cyclist after an hour

The 18-year-old Muriel Furrer had a serious crash at the World Cycling Championships and died of her injuries.

(Bild: Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

The World Cycling Championships in Zurich are overshadowed by the death of young Swiss cyclist Muriel Furrer. The Swiss newspaper "Blick" reported on the allegedly questionable circumstances of the rescue. According to the report, a helicopter only landed in the wooded area where Furrer was allegedly found in the undergrowth an hour after the end of the race. 

The 18-year-old crashed in the junior road race on Thursday and suffered a severe traumatic brain injury. Furrer succumbed to her injuries on Friday, as announced by the World Championship organizers and the UCI during the U23 race. The major event, which is scheduled to continue until Sunday, will nevertheless go ahead. However, the program around the competitions - the women's race will take place on Saturday, the men's race on Sunday - will be scaled back. The World Championship flags in Zurich will fly at half-mast and the award ceremonies will be held on a smaller scale. The UCI canceled its gala scheduled for Saturday evening.

The decision to continue the World Championships was made after consultation and at the request of Furrer's family, it said. "With the passing of Muriel Furrer, the international cycling community loses a rider who had a great future ahead of her," the UCI wrote in a statement.

"Our thoughts are with all of Muriel's family and friends. Rest in peace, dear Muriel," said the Visma team of two-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard on social media, where condolences were posted by numerous professionals and teams.

Sandra Mäder, the mother of Swiss rider Gino Mäder, who was killed in an accident last year, also posted moving words. "Dear Furrer family, my heart goes out to you. Very intensely and I know so well how you must be feeling right now. Hold on tight. I wish you lots of strength to get through these hours."

Furrer was considered an up-and-coming talent. She was active on the road bike, mountain bike and in cyclocross. She won the bronze medal in the team competition at the European Mountain Bike Championships in Romania in May. Furrer lived in the immediate vicinity of the World Championship course.

Helicopter only landed an hour after the end of the race
It is still unclear exactly how the fall occurred. The investigation is ongoing. The organizers referred to the authorities. "The public prosecutor's office and the police are investigating. There is no definite information at the moment," said OC boss Olivier Senn. The exact location of the fall is not known. The Swiss newspaper "Blick" reported on the allegedly questionable circumstances of the rescue. According to the report, a helicopter only landed in the wooded area where Furrer is said to have been found in the undergrowth an hour after the end of the race.

World Championship OC boss Olivier Senn

(Bild: APA/AFP/Fabrice COFFRINI)

Increased safety precautions
What is known so far is that she fell in a wooded area on the lap on the north side of Lake Zurich, which is ridden in all road races. The organizers were praised in advance for the safety measures on the World Championship route, a 27-kilometre lap through the Zurich countryside. After Furrer's accident, the safety precautions were increased once again. "We have more marshals on the downhill section and took another look at the descent in the morning. We are doing our utmost for the safety of the racers," assured Senn. "We are all finding this situation very difficult, but we must and will continue."

Serious crashes have become more frequent in cycling in the recent past. In June 2023, Mäder died after a crash at the Tour de Suisse. This July, the Norwegian André Drege crashed to his death on the descent from the Grossglockner during the Tour of Austria.