The worst was to be feared since the announcement the day before of the accident suffered by the young Swiss: she was in a “very critical” condition, in the words of the UCI, after having been transported by plane to hospital . with “severe head trauma”. “Muriel Furrer unfortunately died today at the University Hospital of Zurich,” the UCI said on Friday, deploring the disappearance of a “runner who had a future ahead of her.”
“Deeply saddened by the passing of junior runner Muriel Furrer today. Our thoughts are with his family, his friends and his teammates in these difficult times,” reacted UCI president David Lappartient on the social network X.
Muriel Furrer had fallen heavily in the pouring rain during the junior road race at the World Championships, on the same course as the other races on the program. The exact location of his fall has not been specified. According to Swiss media, the accident occurred in a forest above Küsnacht, on the eastern shore of Lake Zurich, and it took several minutes for the rider to be discovered. She lived just ten minutes from the alleged accident site.
“Ongoing investigations”
“Investigations by the competent authorities are underway”, indicated the UCI Friday morning before the announcement of the death, specifying that the World Championships would continue with in particular the women’s and men’s events on Saturday and Sunday.
The world road races, of varying duration depending on the age category, end on a final circuit in Zurich and its surroundings which takes several winding roads and descents which can be dangerous, especially in the rain.
Swiss cycling had already been affected last year by the death of Gino Mäder during the Tour de Suisse. A highly appreciated runner in the professional peloton, the Bahraini team runner died on June 16, at the age of 26, following a violent accident the day before during the descent of the Albula Pass. Found inert in a ravine and resuscitated on the spot, he was airlifted to Chur hospital where he succumbed to his injuries the next day.
In 2023, a 17-year-old Italian man died during a downhill run during a regional junior race in Austria. And more recently, on July 6, the Norwegian André Drege, 25, also died in the race after a fall, still on a descent, during the 4th stage of the Tour of Austria.
