The races will go on. That was the message from the UCI and the Zürich World Championships organising committee after a darkish day within the Swiss metropolis which noticed the loss of life of Swiss junior rider Muriel Furrer introduced.
The 18-year-old died following a crash within the junior ladies’s street race on Thursday, by which she sustained a “critical head damage”. The incident passed off on the Zürich metropolis circuit, which will probably be tackled by each elite street races this weekend.
Little or no is thought in regards to the incident, and it’s nonetheless beneath investigation by the authorities in Switzerland. Nevertheless, further employees have been added to the race route, with considerations over the heavy rain which has fallen in Zürich.
“It’s clearly a really unhappy day for everybody concerned on this World Championships,” Olivier Senn, the deputy supervisor of the native organising committee of the Zürich Worlds mentioned at a press convention on Friday afternoon. “We can’t think about the way it should really feel for the household and associates and former colleagues at Swiss biking. We specific our honest condolences to household, associates, and everybody concerned.
“We’ve misplaced a promising younger athlete with a full life forward of her, which may be very exhausting to take,” he continued. “We’re all struggling to proceed on this scenario, however nonetheless we’ve got to and we’ll maintain going, supporting everybody that wants it nearly as good as we are able to.
“Now we have amended the occasion programme. We will probably be flying the flags half-mast for the remainder of the World Championships, we can have a diminished podium ceremony right this moment. Now we have cancelled all night actions for tonight and the UCI Gala tomorrow. There may be additional choices taken, and we’re specializing in the larger occasions tomorrow and Sunday.”
“Racing will go on, because it was the want of the household that this can occur,” he acknowledged.
The newest race content material, interviews, options, evaluations and knowledgeable shopping for guides, direct to your inbox!
There was nothing so as to add on the circumstances across the deadly crash, Senn mentioned, with an investigation open by the general public prosecutor and the police. Regardless of studies within the Swiss press on the character of the accident and response, he mentioned: “Now we have no secured info in the meanwhile. Every part out there may be rumours. Please use details and never rumours.” The placement of the incident couldn’t be confirmed.
Additional marshals have been added to the course. “Now we have seemed on the scenario which occurred yesterday, we’ve got barely amended the employees on web site, particularly as a result of within the afternoon when it began raining once more, we did not know if this impacted the accident,” Senn defined. “We consider we all the time do the utmost for the security and safety of the riders. The downhill was checked out once more right this moment with the rain.”
“My ideas, our ideas, the complete biking household’s ideas are along with her household, her family members, her team-mates, and her associates at Swiss biking,” Peter Van Den Abeele, the UCI’s sports activities director, mentioned.
“With the passing of Muriel, the worldwide biking group has misplaced a rider with a brilliant future forward of her. At current, the accident continues to be beneath investigation by the related competent authorities.
“The UCI and the organising committee are respecting the want of the household to proceed these World Championships. At this stage, we won’t remark any additional. Thanks in your understanding.”
The Highway World Championships continues with the ladies’s elite street race on Saturday, earlier than ending with the lads’s elite street race on Sunday. There additionally para-cycling occasions on each Saturday and Sunday, as a part of the Para-Biking Highway World Championships, with this the primary occasion to mix the 2.
