Increase pressure on UCI after World Cup accident

Almost a week has passed since junior Muriel Furrer’s fatal fall at the World Cycling Championships in Zurich. There is still great concern and new questions continue to arise every day. And sometimes new insights too.

This means that Furrer’s fall on Thursday was probably not unobserved, as was previously assumed. The newspaper “Blick” has a video from a reader that shows Furrer around 400 meters from the scene of the accident, accompanied by two drivers from other nations. According to “Blick’s” research, at least one of them observed Furrer getting off the road – but not the fall itself or its severity.

The investigating authorities are now also in possession of the video, i.e. the public prosecutor’s office and the cantonal police. In the best case scenario, the eyewitness will be able to provide new information about the accident – there is still a lot in the dark here.

The head of sports for the local World Cup organizing committee, Olivier Senn, said at the annual media conference on Wednesday morning that he had no knowledge of the video. “The fact that so many details are unclear makes it difficult to deal with it. I hope that the clarification goes quickly.” In the case of Gino Mäder, who died in an accident in 2023, the investigation took months.

Senn spoke more openly and in more detail on Wednesday than last Friday. At that time, he and a representative of the UCI world association appeared in front of the media shortly after the news of his death and mainly said that he could not say anything because all questions asked were the subject of the investigation. After the World Cup is over, he can now communicate as he sees fit again. “It was obvious that the UCI was not very keen to reveal much information.”

Nobody wanted to implement the “Extreme Weather Protocol”.

He is still unable to provide any details about the accident. But Senn defends the safety measures taken on the day of the accident. He emphasized again that the section of the route had never been criticized by any driver or association. During the World Cup, several thousand passes took place at this point – with only one, but a fatal, fall.

Canceling or postponing the race because of the weather was also not an issue. In 2015, the UCI introduced the Extreme Weather Protocol. Those involved in a race such as drivers, teams, the race doctor or the OC can request that a committee be convened to decide on a postponement, cancellation or other adjustments.

No one in Zurich has requested such a committee. This is not common in cycling in heavy rain – rather in snowfall, heat or extreme wind. However, in view of the weather, the Zurich OK stationed additional people at the descent on the morning of the junior women’s race. Further safety measures, such as mats on the trees, were only installed later.

“Of course, the accident site is inspected particularly carefully afterwards,” says Senn. And of course you could always do more, which you have to admit in retrospect in this case too. But it wasn’t a particularly dangerous spot, not a key spot. The public prosecutor’s office must assess whether there were too few marshals placed.

 

Senn would like a more intensive discussion

Every serious fall in cycling raises the question of whether it could have been prevented. There will never be 100% security. Ideally, every fall at least triggers measures so that a similar fall can be avoided in the future. Olivier Senn, who is also director of the Tour de Suisse, says: “Hopefully there will be an intensive discussion about what needs to happen in cycling now.” Since Gino Mäder’s death, Senn and his colleagues have been trying to put pressure on the UCI – it is the UCI that rules over the regulations. “There are definitely too many deaths,” says Senn.

There is the matter of GPS tracking, which means that the location data could be tracked live and, in the event of a missing driver, it would be immediately clear where she is. That was a big problem in Furrer’s case; she wasn’t found for a long time. Senn says: “Looking back, that would of course have been a perfect solution.” It would be a small matter for the UCI to make GPS tracking mandatory; the technology is there. “It is a question of the will of the world association.”

There are also topics such as helmets, which are individually adapted to the athletes’ heads. Or airbags that protect the head and neck of professional cyclists in the event of a fall. The radio ban at major events and at certain levels also remains an issue. More communication can provide more security in certain cases.

Senn’s motivation is to make progress on these issues. This way he can actively make a difference during this difficult time.