ZURICH (Switzerland) – A minute of silence, which probably said much more than what emerged from the press conference called by theUCI and from the organization of the World Championship in Zurich. Sitting at the table, Peter Van de Abeele and Oliver Senn, respectively UCI Sports Director and General Manager of the world championships, they invoked respect for the family's privacy and then closed themselves off behind the fact that on the death of Muriel Furrer An investigation has been opened. Given this, which is absolutely well-founded, perhaps the very idea of a press conference could have been overturned.
The dynamics to understand
Muriel was born on July 1, 2006 and died today in Zurich hospital.Scrolling through the photos on her Instagram account is heartbreaking for those of us who never knew her. We can barely imagine her family's grief, having had the unfortunate fate of crying more than one fellow rider. This morning, among the buses for the Under-23 race, Those who were competing yesterday with the junior women told stories whose themes will clearly be the subject of the investigation.
The version that more than one person has confirmed is that Muriel was alone between two groups and no one saw her fall.She must have gone off the road and, not having a radio, if she had still been conscious, she was unable to alert her technicians. It seems that the rescue operations were not carried out promptly enough because Only after a great delay did it become clear that the girl had not crossed the finish lineAt that point, the conditional is a must, it seems that his position was traced thanks to the GPS data from his cyclocomputer.
Investigation in progress
When Peter Van den Abeele takes the floor, it is clear that he is shaken and does not have much to say. Read the text of the press release sent by the UCI as soon as the news was released. A few words change, but the gist is the same.
"There is great sadness," he says, "because the UCI and the World Championships organizing committee were informed today of the tragic death of young Muriel Furrer. The eighteen-year-old cyclist fell seriously during yesterday's women's road race. She suffered a severe head injury before being taken to Zurich University Hospital by helicopter in very critical condition.Unfortunately, she died the next day in hospital. My thoughts, our thoughts, and the thoughts of the entire cycling family are with her family, loved ones, her teammates, and friends of the Swiss Federation.
«With Muriel's passing, the international cycling community loses a cyclist with a bright future ahead of her. At the moment, the accident is still under investigation by the competent authorities.The UCI and the organizing committee respect the family's wishes to continue these world championships."
UCI Gala cancelled
The floor was then given to Oliver Senn, who briefly recalled how the incident reminds him of what happened last year with Gino Mader.
«It's obviously a very sad day for everyone involved in these world championships – he says – but We cannot imagine what the family, friends and the public are feeling, to whom we express our condolences.We have lost a promising young athlete with a full life ahead of her. This is very difficult to accept, but we must. We've changed the schedule. We'll be flying flags at half-mast for the remainder of the World Championships.Today we have decided to shorten the podium ceremony.
«We have cancelled all evening activities for this evening and, in full agreement with the UCI, We have decided to cancel the UCI gala, which was due to take place tomorrow evening.. Further decisions may be made, but for now, We focus on today and the most important events that will take place tomorrow and SundayI know we all want information, but let's give the family the privacy and space to work through this."
Safe route
The rest is a mix of both parties trying to understand and closing the deal. No further details about the rescue time. No details about the exact location of the accident. Only confirmation that the GPS data on Muriel's bike will be used by investigators.
"Since the next races will be held on the same course," explains Oliver Senn, "we reviewed the situation that occurred yesterday. We have slightly modified the situation on site, especially because It started raining again in the afternoon and we don't know if this had an impact on the accidentAs always, we believe we are doing our utmost to ensure the safety and protection of our riders."
Whose fault is it? Is there really a culprit? You ride a bike, and although it may seem paradoxical in this monitored and caged cycling world, there are times when no one sees you and no one hears you. Does denying radios so as not to impact tactics mean depriving athletes of an ultimate guarantee of safety? If Muriel could have called, would anything have changed?
The investigation will probably continue trying to understand why, if that's really how it happened, it took almost an hour before anything was done?But in the meantime Muriel Furrer is no longer with us and it's a huge tragedy, regardless of whether or not she had a brilliant career ahead of her.
