After the death of Muriel Furrer: grief and unanswered questions at the World Cup

When Niklas Behrens put on his rainbow jersey, no one on Zurich’s Sechseläutenplatz felt like celebrating. At the beginning of the ceremony for the new U23 world champion from Germany there was a minute’s silence, all flags flew at half-mast. The death of the 18-year-old Swiss woman Muriel Furrer on Friday plunged the title fights on Lake Zurich into a dark light. “It was an award ceremony with mixed emotions,” said 20-year-old Niklas Behrens from Bremen.

The World Cup continued – albeit in a subdued manner. As the organizers said, this was “the family’s wish.” The women’s race was on the agenda on Saturday, and there was a minute’s silence before the almost 200 riders were sent out onto the track. The Swiss team took their place in the front row, the riders hugged each other, and one athlete burst into tears. After 154.1 kilometers, defending champion Lotte Kopecky from Belgium won, Liane Lippert from Friedrichshafen came fourth. Kopecky dedicated her title to Furrer: “First I would like to express my condolences to Muriel’s family,” said the Paris Olympic bronze medalist and thought of her colleagues from Switzerland: “I think it was a very hard moment for them too.”

Muriel Furrer fell in a forest during the junior women’s race on Thursday and suffered a severe traumatic brain injury. She died one day in the University Hospital of Zurich.

The course of the accident remains unclear. What is known is that Furrer fell in a forest on the lap on the north side of Lake Zurich that is run in all road races. She lived just ten kilometers from where the accident occurred.

The sporting director of the Cycling World Championships in Zurich, Olivier Senn, gave an insight into the rescue operation for the first time on Sunday. The rescue chain worked “very well,” he told the Swiss news agency SDA. “Minutes after the accident report was received,” the doctor and ambulance were on site and began “first aid.” “The rescue helicopter was also ready.” However, Senn left it open exactly when the accident report was received. The 18-year-old cyclist was probably lying undetected at the scene of the accident for a long time.

There has been an increasing number of serious falls in cycling recently

Senn confirmed that the fall occurred on the descent in the forest outside Küsnacht. “I don’t know how the accident happened or the exact location of the accident. We know where Muriel was found, but we don’t know exactly what the accident scene looks like,” said Senn, who is also director of the Tour de Suisse. The police and public prosecutor’s office are still in the process of clarifying what happened to the accident: “The World Cup route has been analyzed many times in terms of risks. They do not involve any risks beyond the usual level.”

There has been an increasing number of serious falls in cycling in the recent past. In July, the Norwegian André Drege fell and died on the descent from the Großglockner during the Tour of Austria. In June 2023, Gino Mäder drove off the road on the descent of the Albula Pass and later died from his serious injuries. Mäder’s death sparked a debate about safety in cycling, and there have been changes since then: “The route protection has become significantly better, as has the route. You can’t reduce the risk to zero,” said German professional cyclist Simon Geschke. The 38-year-old explained that many falls happened in very clear places due to driving errors or other influences. However, the CPA drivers’ association has become significantly more influential and is working better.

Gino Mäder’s mother offered her help to the family of the deceased Muriel Furrer at the weekend. She offered to contact parents at any time. “I know from my own, painful experience what the family is going through now. I would be happy to help you if you want,” Sandra Mäder told the Swiss media.

The Cycling World Championships end on Sunday with the men’s road race over 273.9 kilometers between Winterthur and Zurich.