Swiss teenage cyclist Muriel Furrer dies after crashing at road world championships

Swiss 18-year-old cyclist Muriel Furrer died on Friday, one day after sustaining a head injury in a crash at the road world championships.

"Muriel Furrer sadly passed away today at Zurich University Hospital," race organizers said in a statement.

Furrer was competing in the junior women's event on rain-slicked roads Thursday morning when she crashed in a forest area south of Zurich. She was airlifted by helicopter to the hospital.

At a news conference Friday, a director of the Swiss organizing committee, Olivier Senn, said no official information could yet be given to confirm exactly where the crash happened.

Police and the public prosecutor's office are investigating, Senn said.

"We have lost a promising young athlete with the full life ahead of her which is very hard to take," he said. "We cannot imagine how it must feel for the family and friends."

Furrer's family had asked that the championships which run for nine days through Sunday continue on schedule, International Cycling Union (UCI) sports director Peter van den Abeele said.

A gala event for the UCI scheduled on Saturday evening has been cancelled, as were public events to celebrate the races planned Friday in Zurich.

The women's and men's elite races scheduled Saturday and Sunday, respectively, will use the same stretch of road where the fatal crash happened.

"The downhill was looked at again just today," Senn said. "We have slightly amended the staff on site. We believe we always do the maximum on the safety and security of the riders."

The UCI paid tribute to the Swiss teenager in a statement: "With the passing of Muriel Furrer, the international cycling community loses a rider with a bright future ahead of her."

Furrer is the second Swiss cyclist to have died after crashing on home roads in the past two seasons.

Gino Mder suffered a fatal crash at the Tour de Suisse in June 2023. The 26-year-old rider went off the road and crashed down a ravine during a descent and died from his injuries the next day.

"Obviously it is another tragic death," Senn said. "There is a lot of similarities, similar feelings. Today is about Muriel."