Cycling World Cup: 18-year-old cyclist Muriel Furrer dies after a fall

Young Swiss rider Muriel Furrer died one day after her serious fall at the World Road Cycling Championships in Zurich. The 18-year-old fell in the junior women’s race and suffered a severe traumatic brain injury. Furrer died in the University Hospital of Zurich.

“With the death of Muriel Furrer, the international cycling community has lost a rider who had a great future ahead of her,” said a statement from the world association UCI. Furrer’s family asked that their privacy be respected during this difficult time.

The World Cup will still go ahead, the UCI and the local organizing committee (LOC) announced. “The racing will continue, that is the family’s wish,” said Olivier Senn from the LOC. The women’s race is scheduled for Saturday lunchtime and the men’s race starts on Sunday. Furrer fell on Thursday during the junior women’s race in a forest on the north side of Lake Zurich. She was taken to a hospital by helicopter, but doctors were unable to save her life.

The organizers did not comment on the circumstances of the accident, but referred them to the authorities. “The public prosecutor and the police are investigating. There is no reliable information at the moment,” said Senn, who is also director of the Tour de Suisse. The exact location of the fall is not known.

Safety precautions on the route have been increased. “We have more marshals on the descent and looked at the descent again in the morning. We give our maximum for the safety of the drivers,” assured Senn. “We are all having a very difficult time with this situation, but we must and will move on.”

After Furrer’s death, the program around the races was scaled back. All flags at Sechseläutenplatz fly at half-mast, and award ceremonies are held on a smaller scale. The UCI canceled its gala scheduled for Saturday evening.

Furrer was considered an up-and-coming talent in Swiss cycling. She was active on road bikes, mountain bikes and cyclocross. At the European Mountain Bike Championships in Romania in May she won the bronze medal in the team competition. Furrer lived in close proximity to the World Cup track and attended the United School of Sports in Zurich.

There has been an increasing number of serious falls in cycling in recent times. In July, the Norwegian André Drege fell and died on the descent from the Großglockner during the Tour of Austria. In June 2023, the Swiss Gino Mäder succumbed to his injuries one day after a fall on the descent of the Albula Pass at the Tour de Suisse. Mäder’s death sparked a debate about safety in cycling.