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A cyclist who was killed during the Road World Championships was not found for 82 minutes after a crash, investigators have found.<\/b><\/p>\n
Switzerland’s Muriel Furrer, 18, died after crashing during the junior road race in Zurich in her home country in 2024.<\/p>\n
The investigation by the Zurich Public Prosecutors’ Office concluded there was “no evidence of criminal conduct or negligence on the part of the organiser”. <\/p>\n
Furrer left the road in wet conditions, on a course close to where she grew up, and crashed into a wooded area.<\/p>\n
The incident was not seen by race marshals on the 73.5km (45.7 miles) route and she lay undiscovered for more than an hour.<\/p>\n
She was eventually airlifted to hospital but died of a head injury.<\/p>\n
The prosecutors’ office said: “The accident occurred at approximately 11:04am, out of sight of support vehicles, race officials, spectators, and marshals.<\/p>\n
“The injured cyclist lay hidden in the undergrowth and was not visible from the road. <\/p>\n
“The sudden disappearance of [the] athlete was not automatically reported. Due to these circumstances, the injured cyclist was not discovered until 12:26pm.”<\/p>\n
Neither live tracking of riders nor radio were allowed in the World Championships, despite being used in other races such as the Tour de France.<\/p>\n
The race was overseen by a local organising committee in conjunction with world governing body the UCI, which BBC Sport has contacted for comment.<\/p>\n
The UCI introduced GPS trackers for the 2025 World Championships in Rwanda, so the whereabouts of riders were known at all times.<\/p>\n
It is something the CPA – the cyclists’ union – believes should have been introduced years ago.<\/p>\n
“It’s such an easy solution,” CPA president Adam Hansen told BBC Sport in October.<\/p>\n
The public prosecutors said: “According to the investigation, the first emergency responders arrived at the scene of the accident just minutes after the cyclist was found and immediately began providing initial medical care. <\/p>\n
“This was followed by the rescue of the seriously injured cyclist from the undergrowth and preparations for her transport to the hospital.<\/p>\n
“No evidence of any criminally relevant breaches of duty was found, either in connection with the time-consuming rescue operation or with the subsequent medical care at the University Hospital Zurich.”<\/p>\n
Last year the UCI retired Furrer’s race number on the day, 84, from women’s junior road races.<\/p>\n
The findings come days after Britain’s Tom Pidcock crashed into a ravine on a fast descent at the Volta a Catalunya in an incident not seen by cameras or organisers. <\/p>\n
The Q36.5 rider said he “was far from the road and nobody knew I was there” but was “lucky” because he could talk on the radio to his team.<\/p>\n
He finished the stage but retired from the race the next day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n