Muriel Furrer’s death affects prodigies

The Swiss Muriel Furrer died on September 27 following her serious fall at the World Championships in Zurich. She was only 18 years old. His death shook the world of cycling, particularly young cyclists of his generation. Examples with Ramona Griesser and Andrea Raccagni Noviero.

It has been ten days since young Swiss cyclist Muriel Furrer lost her life, the day after her fall in circumstances that are still unclear at the World Championships in Zurich. The tragedy not only left his family in mourning. It left its mark on the cycling community, especially since the Zurich resident was left alone for more than an hour, in the undergrowth, before emergency services were called into action.

You just have to look at the tributes paid to the young woman here and there to see how much this tragedy has affected the small world of cycling. Professionals and amateurs were all shaken by what happened in the canton of Zurich.

In addition to messages of support addressed to the family, 1,500 cyclists gathered in memory of Muriel Furrer last Sunday. They cycled together and in silence, in the early morning, on the circuit which caused the loss of the champion. A place of contemplation was also set up in front of the Wasserkirche in Zurich the day after the announcement of his death.

Among all the cyclists affected, young people – those belonging to the junior and hopeful categories – are logically the most helpless in the face of this tragedy. He touched them right in the heart. These aspiring runners identified with Muriel Furrer.

Ramona Griesser is a 17-year-old Austrian runner. She was pedaling alongside the Zurich woman shortly before the accident. We see them both in full effort in a photograph taken by an agency in an 18% wall. Other cyclists appear in the background.

The Austrian did not notice the fall of Muriel Furrer a few hectometers further on. This is hardly surprising. The tragedy took place downhill on a winding and wet road. Gaps are created naturally and it is easy to lose sight of a competitor around a bend. She would have passed eight seconds behind the Swiss 400 meters from the accident site.

Contacted mid-week by CH Media, the group to which watson belongs, Ramona Griesser’s father says his daughter remains shocked by what happened. She learned on Tuesday from her trainer that she was certainly one of the last people to see Muriel Furrer alive. This situation is difficult to manage for the young girl. Her father describes symptoms similar to those of depression, particularly due to the fact that she is unable to provide information about the tragedy.

Andrea Raccagni Noviero, 20, did not race with Ramona Griesser and Muriel Furrer. He contented himself with participation in the individual time trial in his category earlier in these Worlds. He nevertheless remains marked by events. In a message published Friday on social networks, a week after the announcement of the loss of the Zurich resident, the Italian, member of the Soudal-Quick-Step development team, gave himself up in an astonishing way, consumed by guilt.

Andrea Raccagni Noviero took the very controversial descent placed on the Zurich time trial course. He says he risked his life that day and regrets not having done more for the safety of runners, whether after this experience or more generally since he has been racing at a high level. “Every athlete who raced the time trial like me put their life in danger in a descent that had no reason to be there, and everyone knew it,” he says, deploring his wait-and-see attitude and that of the peloton.

Muriel Furrer fell and suffered serious head trauma on another descent. Olivier Senn, boss of the Zurich World Championships, says that it was borrowed 1,500 times during the week without anyone complaining. Is it because the robotic runners have ended up getting used to risks that have become greater – given the increase in speed, the increased stakes or more frequent urban developments? In any case, this is what Andrea Raccagni Noviero tends to think about.

Ramona Griesser’s father defends the organizing committee. His daughter would have spoken to her federation about dangerous and slippery descents once she reached the finish line, but she has since retracted her comments, according to him. He recalls that it was a hot feeling after a day spent in the rain. “As a father, I can only say one thing: from our point of view, the organization was impeccable,” he told CH Media. Not sure that Andrea Raccagni Noviero supports this opinion who, since last Friday, feels partly responsible for the death of Muriel Furrer.