Swiss cyclist Muriel Furrer dies at 18 after suffering head injury in crash during Road World Championships

Swiss cyclist Muriel Furrer died on Friday after sustaining a head injury in a crash during the Cycling and Para-cycling Road World Championships in Zurich on Thursday.

Furrer, 18, crashed while riding on rain-slicked roads through a forest area in the junior women's event. After the fall in which she suffered a head injury, Furrer was airlifted by helicopter in critical condition to Zurich University Hospital, according to the Union Cycliste Internationale.

"It is with great sadness that the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and the Organising Committee of the 2024 UCI Road and Para-cycling Road World Championships in Zurich (Switzerland) today learned the tragic news of the death of young Swiss cyclist Muriel Furrer," the UCI announced in a statement.

During a press conference on Friday, race officials said the crash was still being investigated by police and the public prosecutor's ofice and no information could be confirmed on exactly where on the course it occurred.

"We have obviously looked at the situation which happened there yesterday," said Olivier Senn, director of the Swiss organizing committee." We have slightly amended the staff on-site, especially because in the afternoon when it started raining again, not knowing if that had any impact on the accident."

Senn added that additional safety checks were performed on the section of the course in question before of Friday's under-23 men's road race.

In addition to road racing, Furrer competed in cross-country and mountain cycling at an international level. Her death is the second for Swiss cycling in just over a year, following Gino Mader's fatal crash during the 2023 Tour de Suisse.

Furrer’s family asked that the world race championships continue on schedule through Sunday, according to UCI sports director Peter Van Den Abeele. However, a gala event for the UCI scheduled for Saturday has been canceled, along with public events on Friday intended to celebrate the race.