Lotte Kopecky’s sprint for victory, or Tadej Pogacar’s long-range attack are not what cycling fans will remember from the 2025 road cycling World Championships held in Zurich. The season should have been concluded on a high note, but it was irrevocably tarnished by Muriel Furrer’s passing, the day after her crash in the Women Juniors’ race.
The Swiss rider fell in a curve in an isolated area of the circuit, likely due to the unrelenting rain, but no witnesses can, for now, clarify what happened. The 18 year-old passed away at the hospital from severe head trauma, the day after her accident. Swiss police and International Cycling Union (UCI) have, since then, published little to no information concerning the crash. Swiss newspaper Blick has, however, stated that the rescue helicopter landed “one hour after the end of the race”. If such information is true, it is fair to say that it is far too long a time.
This is not the first lethal accident in cycling. Last year, another Swiss rider, Gino Mäder, passed away at age 26 after his high-speed crash in a descent during the Tour de Suisse. Likewise, last July, 25-year-old Andre Drege died after crashing in a descent in the Tour of Austria. The list of race-related deaths is tragically long. Fans and riders alike wonder how many more losses it will take for UCI to effectively work on racers’ safety, despite this subject being a difficult one. Open-wheeled sports, after Henry Surtees and Jules Bianchi’s deaths, eventually implemented the “halo” for all drivers, showing improvement is possible for other disciplines.
World Championships take place without earpieces, which enable riders to discuss with their teammates and staff. The thought of Muriel Furrer being left alone, unable to communicate her distress, is probably the most shocking part of this story. Earpieces have however also been criticised: they were said to distract the riders, and were accused of causing a massive crash during 2024’s Itzulia Tour. David Lappartient, UCI’s President, in a press conference held a day after Muriel Furrer’s passing, refused to discuss the radio issue so soon after the accident.
What are the other solutions, then? Last year, UCI launched SafeR, a discussion group about safety matters. Debates led to several measures: tests were conducted to limit the use of earpieces, or to give yellow cards as a sanction for inappropriate or dangerous racing. Some also argue that riders’ equipment needs to be limited, as the bikes are constantly improved to go faster. Another question remains unanswered: were there GPS trackers on the bikes of the Juniors racers? If so, Furrer’s crash highlights the need to monitor them rigorously and act when one of them is seen unmoving.
Security remains a complex question, as many actors, opinions and variables are to be considered. But still, confusion remains: the UCI’s policy clearly lacks consistency. Last year’s World Champion Mathieu van der Poel remains unpunished for his risky jump on the pavement during the race. One can be sceptical when seeing the UCI sanctioning Ben O’ Connor’s lateness to an official ceremony during La Vuelta, or Julien Bernard’s short break to greet his family when a Tour de France stage took place in his home region, but not urgently addressing security issues.
In essence, cycling didn’t just lose one of its athletes, it is sport that lost a member of its family. If there is one thing everyone agrees on after yet another loss – for Muriel Furrer, Gino Mäder, Andre Drege and each one of this sport’s victims – it is that considering riders, staff, and UCI’s opinions, urgent and deep change is needed.
“Cape Argus Pick ‘n Pay Cycle Race – South Africa” by South African Tourism is licensed under CC BY 2.0.