Young Swiss rider Muriel Furrer dies after an accident at the World Cycling Championships

“There is no understanding, only pain and sadness”: With these words, Swiss Cycling said goodbye to its athlete Muriel Furrer on social networks on Friday afternoon. In these hours, the association’s protagonists are experiencing a situation in which thoughts and feelings are difficult to put into words: They are holding home world championships, sending 40 athletes into sporting competitions, and hoping for a folk festival in the streets of Zurich.

And then on the seventh day of racing, a young, hopeful driver dies after a fall. “We are losing a warm-hearted and wonderful young woman who always had a smile on her face,” Swiss Cycling continued. A few minutes earlier, shortly before 3 p.m., the World Cup organizers had announced Furrer’s death.

The 18-year-old fell in the junior women’s race in a forest above Küsnacht on Thursday. Furrer suffered a severe traumatic brain injury, was flown in a rescue helicopter to Zurich University Hospital and underwent emergency surgery. On Thursday evening, the organizers, together with the world association UCI and Swiss Cycling, informed for the first time about the rider’s fall and her “very critical” condition.

The circumstances under which Furrer fell remained unclear on Friday. The road is steep before entering Küsnacht, but the curves are not considered tricky. It is clear that it rained heavily during the race and the road was probably slippery. Organizers and the UCI declined to comment on the accident, citing the ongoing investigation. They don’t have any reliable information yet either.

Last but not least, it is unclear whether Furrer received medical help immediately. According to “Blick”, there is reason to believe that the fallen driver lay undetected in the forest for a long time. The newspaper relies, among other things, on statements from spectators who did not see any rescue operations in the area around the scene of the accident during the race.

In addition, the flight tracker website Flightaware registered a helicopter mission to Küsnacht at 12:52 p.m. Rega confirmed at the request of the NZZ that a helicopter flew a mission from Zurich at that time on Thursday and that it was the first that day. At this time the junior women’s race had already been over for an hour.

The clarifications by the responsible authorities are likely to take time; the Zurich cantonal police are responsible. As part of the investigation, trackers that the racers’ bikes are usually equipped with are also evaluated.

The Swiss cycling scene is in shock

Several hours before the news of his death, the UCI, Swiss Cycling and the local organizing committee had announced that the racing program would continue as planned. “The continuation will take place after consultation with and in the interests of the family,” they wrote.

The organizers confirmed the fundamental decision in the late afternoon. Accompanying program items such as the UCI gala on Saturday evening will be canceled, the medal ceremonies will be adjusted and the flags will be flown at half-mast. But the remaining races themselves should take place. On Saturday there will be a highlight of the World Cycling Championships with the women’s road race, followed by the men’s race on Sunday.

A dark shadow now lies over the event. The Swiss cycling scene in particular is in shock. Swiss Cycling also canceled planned events. Numerous protagonists took part on Furrer’s Instagram page on Friday, including Sandra Mäder, the mother of professional cyclist Gino Mäder, who also recently died in an accident.

It was a very sad day for everyone, said World Cup organizer Olivier Senn at a press conference on Friday. “But we can’t imagine what it feels like for her family, her teammates and her friends at Swiss Cycling.” Just a year ago, in June 2023, Mäder died after a fall at the Tour de Suisse. Senn was also the focus of attention on the state tour; his sensitive and instinctive demeanor helped him gain stature at the time.

The host association leaves it up to its athletes whether they take part in the remaining races. A Swiss Cycling spokesman said when asked before the death became known that he was not aware of any waiver so far. But that could of course change. In general, he stated: “What the family wants is very important to Swiss Cycling, and the family is clearly in favor of continuing the World Cup.”

Swiss Cycling has deployed the same care team for the riders that the association had called in after Mäder’s accident. After the Swiss’s death, the UCI and other representatives pushed for measures to increase safety in cycling. However, these have only been partially implemented. In some cases, the usefulness of the innovations is questionable, which applies to the distribution of yellow cards, for example.

Furrer lived a few kilometers from the scene of the accident

Muriel Furrer lost her life very close to her home. She comes from Egg near Zurich, was a member of VC Meilen and must have known the streets of the World Cup route inside and out. Furrer was an extremely versatile and technically skilled driver. She made a name for herself primarily as a mountain biker and cross-country cyclist, but also competed in junior road championships and was already Swiss track champion in the Omnium. In May of this year she won bronze in the relay at the Junior European Cross-Country Championships and came fifth in the individual event. In June she won her first victory in the Swiss Bike Cup.

Most recently, Furrer, who was also a KV apprentice at the United School of Sports, was in the junior squad for the MTB World Championships in Andorra and the European Road Championships in Belgium. On her Instagram profile, Furrer is seen as a young woman who embraced the various experiences of her cycling career with an open mind, was eager to train and learn, and was able to get something positive out of every race weekend. She shared her thoughts with her followers and also wrote how faith in God helped her when a race didn’t turn out as desired.

Collaboration: Thomas Müller