the union against the Zurich Worlds

Adam Hansen’s comments on the subject of Muriel Furrer’s accident were long overdue. However, the president of the riders’ union has finally spoken. Although he does not blame anyone, he strongly criticizes the International Cycling Union (UCI) and the organizers of the World Championships in Zurich.

Simon Häring

When a rider is hampered during a race by an over-enthusiastic spectator or falls seriously, Adam Hansen, president of the Associated Professional Cyclists (CPA), the riders’ union, is always among the first to assess the situation.

This is what happened during the last Paris-Roubaix, after a woman threw a cap into Mathieu van der Poel’s shelves or at the 2023 Tour de Suisse, when Gino Mäder fell into the descent from the Albula and died the next day as a result of his head trauma. He’s just doing his job. The Australian represents the interests of the riders.

“No time to wash dirty laundry with family”

Adam Hansen did not immediately communicate and remained silent for a long time after the death of Muriel Furrer at the World Road Cycling Championships in Zurich. This shows what a tragic event the loss of the Swiss woman is. His silence is to his credit. Hansen simply said he preferred to have all the information before commenting on the situation. “That doesn’t mean I don’t care about this matter. “It’s just not the right time to wash dirty laundry as a family,” he added.

The president of the CPA has finally broken his silence. Ten days after the death of Muriel Furrer, he spoke in the media and drew parallels with the deaths of Gino Mäder and the Norwegian André Drege. The latter lost his life during the Tour of Austria last July. Adam Hansen also called on the International Cycling Union (UCI) and cycle race organizers to place much more emphasis on safety and look at some technological solutions.

Parallels between Mäder, Drege et Furrer

The deaths of Gino Mäder, André Drege and Muriel Furrer all have one thing in common: “No one among the organizers or commissioners was aware of the falls.” There was certainly a quick response in Mäder’s case, but it was only by chance that he was found several tens of meters below. Drege was not found until 25 to 45 minutes after he fell. “And as far as I know, it was even worse in Zurich. Because the race was apparently already over when the absence of Muriel Furrer was noticed.

It took a total of two and a half hours before the rescue helicopter transported the champion to Zurich University Hospital, where she died the next day from severe head trauma.

GPS tracking and earbuds

GPS trackers have indeed been used in Zurich, but only for television purposes. They only triggered a signal when crossing the finish line drawn on Sechseläutenplatz. Now it is at least at this moment, between the descent and the start of the last lap of the circuit, that the absence of Muriel Furrer should have been noticed.

Adam Hansen’s conclusion is unequivocal: “There was clearly an error in tracking the riders.”

But the Australian does not want to name a culprit. But it is unacceptable that runners are forgotten and lost in the middle of nature. He calls for more personnel on the side of the roads or geolocation devices. “These two elements will not prevent falls, they are part of our sport. But reaction time is decisive in the event of an accident,” he recalls.

No culprit therefore, but Hansen nevertheless criticizes the International Cycling Union for not being sufficiently open to technological innovations. He is certain: earphones, banned at the World Championships, are necessary. “Riders encouraged me to be more aggressive and to better promote this cause,” he explains.

Adam Hansen finally tried to kick in when asked if the Zurich Worlds circuit was dangerous. However, by quoting the organizer of another race, he failed: “He told me that the World Championships should be the event that everyone turns to and that it imposes high standards.” Others would have used more nets and protection on the descents. In summary, “this race did not set the bar very high,” criticizes Hansen.