Category: International

A cyclist who was killed during the Road World Championships was not found for 82 minutes after a crash, investigators have found.

Switzerland’s Muriel Furrer, 18, died after crashing during the junior road race in Zurich in her home country in 2024.

The investigation by the Zurich Public Prosecutors’ Office concluded there was “no evidence of criminal conduct or negligence on the part of the organiser”.

Furrer left the road in wet conditions, on a course close to where she grew up, and crashed into a wooded area.

The incident was not seen by race marshals on the 73.5km (45.7 miles) route and she lay undiscovered for more than an hour.

She was eventually airlifted to hospital but died of a head injury.

The prosecutors’ office said: “The accident occurred at approximately 11:04am, out of sight of support vehicles, race officials, spectators, and marshals.

“The injured cyclist lay hidden in the undergrowth and was not visible from the road.

“The sudden disappearance of [the] athlete was not automatically reported. Due to these circumstances, the injured cyclist was not discovered until 12:26pm.”

Neither live tracking of riders nor radio were allowed in the World Championships, despite being used in other races such as the Tour de France.

The race was overseen by a local organising committee in conjunction with world governing body the UCI, which BBC Sport has contacted for comment.

The UCI introduced GPS trackers for the 2025 World Championships in Rwanda, so the whereabouts of riders were known at all times.

It is something the CPA – the cyclists’ union – believes should have been introduced years ago.

“It’s such an easy solution,” CPA president Adam Hansen told BBC Sport in October.

The public prosecutors said: “According to the investigation, the first emergency responders arrived at the scene of the accident just minutes after the cyclist was found and immediately began providing initial medical care.

“This was followed by the rescue of the seriously injured cyclist from the undergrowth and preparations for her transport to the hospital.

“No evidence of any criminally relevant breaches of duty was found, either in connection with the time-consuming rescue operation or with the subsequent medical care at the University Hospital Zurich.”

Last year the UCI retired Furrer’s race number on the day, 84, from women’s junior road races.

The findings come days after Britain’s Tom Pidcock crashed into a ravine on a fast descent at the Volta a Catalunya in an incident not seen by cameras or organisers.

The Q36.5 rider said he “was far from the road and nobody knew I was there” but was “lucky” because he could talk on the radio to his team.

He finished the stage but retired from the race the next day.

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