Participants in the memorial ride for the deceased cyclist Muriel Furrer in Zurich on Sunday.
Image: Keystone
At the Wasserkirche in Zurich on Sunday, numerous people commemorated the Swiss cyclist Muriel Furrer, who died after a crash at the World Cycling Championships.
Image: Keystone
Participants in the memorial ride for the deceased cyclist Muriel Furrer in Zurich on Sunday.
Image: Keystone
At the Wasserkirche in Zurich on Sunday, numerous people commemorated the Swiss cyclist Muriel Furrer, who died after a crash at the World Cycling Championships.
Image: Keystone
Early on Sunday morning, numerous people gather on Sechseläutenplatz to hold a memorial ride for the deceased Muriel Furrer. Nothing at the World Cycling Championships has been the same since the accident.
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- Since Friday afternoon, there has been sad certainty: Muriel Furrer has lost her life after a crash in the U23 World Championship race at the age of just 18.
- The World Cycling Championships in Zurich will continue, but nothing will be the same again. Instead of a City Race public race, a memorial ride takes place on Sunday morning.
- The professional riders complete their elite road race on Saturday under very special circumstances - and not everyone can cope with the situation. "I was scared the whole time on the course," admits German Antonia Niedermaier.
Numerous people get on their bikes early on Sunday morning and gather at Sechseläutenplatz shortly after 7 am. Whether old or young, on racing bikes or e-bikes - they all pay their last respects to Muriel Furrer with a memorial ride. The 18-year-old crashed heavily in the U23 World Championship race on Thursday and succumbed to her injuries on Friday. Since then, everything has changed at the World Cycling Championships in Zurich.
On Sunday morning, a City Race public race was actually planned, in which amateur riders would have competed on the professional course. However, the OC adjusted the program in consultation with the International Cycling Union, Swiss Cycling and the bereaved family. And so around 1,500 cycling enthusiasts gathered at Sechseläutenplatz that morning, when OC boss Olivier Senn started the memorial ride with a speech and a minute's silence.
The route also passes the site of the accident in the woods above Küsnacht. For many, the memorial ride ends at the Wasserkirche, where a central place of mourning has been set up. A Swiss flag and a picture of the deceased are attached to a tree. Candles are lit in front of it and mourners have laid flowers.
The result is a minor matter
The Swiss professional riders are also taking part in the memorial ride, but for once they are only riding at a leisurely pace. This looks very different on Saturday in the elite road race - and pushes the riders concerned to their limits just one day after the news of the death.
"It was a very tough and difficult two days for the whole national team. We went into the race with no expectations and wanted to ride with our hearts for Muriel," says Noemi Rüegg from Zurich, who finished the World Championship race in 11th place as the best Swiss athlete. But the result is only a minor matter at this moment.
Fear on the track
This also applies to the German Antonia Niedermaier, who was the secret favorite at the start on Saturday. But Furrer's death threw the 21-year-old off track. "I was scared the whole time on the track because of what happened this week. I rode carefully," says Niedermaier in tears at the finish line and ends up in 18th place.
Lotte Kopecky was obviously able to cope better with the situation. Under these conditions, the Belgian managed to defend her World Championship title from the previous year. At the finish, her thoughts are also with Furrer. "First of all, I want to express my condolences to Muriel's family. You don't want to see pictures like the one during the minute's silence when the Swiss riders cried."
