Following the death of Muriel Furrer at the World Cycling Championships in Zurich, Belgian cycling influencer and journalist Benji Naesen has severely criticized the International Cycling Union (UCI) and its president David Lappartient.
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- After Muriel Furrer's fatal crash at the World Cycling Championships in Zurich, the world governing body is coming under increasing pressure.
- Belgian cycling influencer and journalist Benji Naesen accuses the UCI of having done far too little for the safety of athletes in recent years.
- The Belgian also sharply criticizes the radio ban imposed by the UCI.
- Could Furrer have been found earlier with the use of radio?
"We feel very bad. It should have been the best moment of the season," said UCI President David Lappartient after the tragedy surrounding the young Swiss rider Muriel Furrer. Together with Furrer's family, however, the federation had decided to continue with the World Championships. At the same time, the Frenchman warns not to jump to conclusions in the safety discussion: "We should be careful and not generalize a tragedy."
Someone who sees things completely differently is cycling influencer and journalist Benji Naesen. Following Furrer's death and Lappartient's statements, the Belgian, who runs the cycling podcast "Lanterne Rouge", sharply criticized the world federation and the president himself.
"We shouldn't wait until the next one dies..."
"Lappartient's statements disgust me," Naesen rages on Platform X. "He claims that 50 percent of crashes are due to the behavior of the riders, without backing this up with statistics. This sums up the UCI's lack of accountability when it comes to safety. I'm shocked that these people can still look in the mirror at the end of the day."
Naesen also criticizes the fact that the association triggers the same cycle with every death. First it says: "The UCI mourns ...", then the family is asked whether the races can continue and then it is "too early to discuss what could have been prevented."
Meanwhile, far too little is done. "I can count on one hand the decisions that the UCI has made in favor of safety in the last 10 years. We shouldn't wait until the next one dies before we make the necessary changes to the sport."
The radio ban is also a recurring topic in the cycling safety debate. The UCI banned radios at the World Championships and would like to extend this to the World Tour races. The world governing body hopes that this will make the races more exciting and unpredictable.
Would Furrer have been found earlier without the UCI radio ban?
However, riders and teams have repeatedly pointed out that the radio is important for safety. Naesen agrees: "Jenthe Biermans crashed into a ravine at the Giro d'Italia and could only be found so quickly because the other riders told the team car over the radio where he had crashed."
Could Furrer have been found earlier after her crash?
The question remains unanswered, but for Lappartient, who has been in office since 2017, this argument doesn't hold water anyway: "There are also crashes because of the radio. We should be careful and not generalize a tragedy," says the UCI boss.
Naesen takes a completely different view: "It is impossible to prevent every accident in this sport, but all measures that can reduce or prevent serious or fatal injuries should be pursued with the highest priority."
