From the beginning of the cycling competition in Zurich, the world championships held there were accompanied by many safety concerns. This is all because of heavy rain, which makes the roads very slippery and the conditions extremely difficult. He found this out, among others, the defending champion among juniors, Dane Albert Philipsen, who fell off the route during Thursday's competition and had to withdraw from further competitions.
Thursday's nightmare in Switzerland
Unfortunately, it was much worse in the case of the hosts' representative Muriel Furrer. The Swiss woman fell while descending on a forested section of the route, unluckily enough to suffer serious head injuries. After the incident, she was transported by helicopter to the hospital as soon as possible, where she underwent a complicated operation, which, however, did not improve her condition much. Condition described as critical.
Muriel Furrer is dead. The operation did not help
Unfortunately, on Friday afternoon, September 27, tragic news spread across the cycling world. Muriel Furrer died at the University Hospital in Zurich. The information was officially confirmed by the International Cycling Union. – With the passing of Muriel Furrer, the international cycling community loses a rider who had a bright future ahead of her. The UCI and the Organizing Committee of the 2024 UCI Road and Para-Cycling World Championships express their sincere condolences to the family, friends and the Swiss Cycling Federation, reads the statement.
On the day of the accident, the International Cycling Union began an investigation to determine the exact causes of Furrer's fall. At the moment, it is not known whether the competition in Zurich will continue in the face of this tragedy. We still have the senior women's competition ahead of us (Saturday, September 28, 12:45 p.m.), which will include, among others: Katarzyna Niewiadoma, winner of the women's Tour de France.