UCI retires race number in memory of late rider Muriel Furrer
The UCI has announced that race number 84 will never again be assigned in the junior women’s road race at the UCI Road World Championships, in memory of Swiss rider Muriel Furrer, who died after a crash at last year’s Worlds in Zurich.
Furrer, just 18, suffered a fatal head injury during the Junior Women’s Road Race on 26 September 2024. After lying unobserved in a wooded section of the course, she was eventually airlifted to Zurich University Hospital in critical condition, where she died the following day. Her death cast a deep shadow over the Championships and led to widespread calls for improved rider safety.
Commenting on the decision, recently re-elected UCI President David Lappartient said: “The death of Muriel Furrer, a promising young rider with a bright future ahead of her, during our UCI Road and Para-cycling World Championships last year cast a shadow of mourning over the event and the entire cycling community. One year later to the day, our thoughts are still with her, her loved ones, and her Federation, Swiss Cycling.”
“To pay tribute to Muriel, the UCI has decided that the race number she wore during the event will no longer be assigned in the junior women’s road race at the UCI World Championships for road cycling.”
Furrer’s death intensified debate around race safety and emergency response protocols, with particular focus on the time it took for assistance to reach her after the crash. Among the measures discussed was the introduction of GPS tracking devices to monitor every competitor’s location in real time.
The Tour de Suisse became the first major event to introduce the system in June, followed by the much-discussed UCI test at the Tour de Romandie Féminin in August. At the current World Championships in Rwanda, all riders across every category are racing with GPS trackers installed beneath their saddles. Organisers hope the technology will allow race control and medical services to respond more quickly to emergencies on the course.
The retirement of number 84 ensures that Muriel Furrer’s memory will remain part of the Junior Women’s World Championships for years to come, a symbolic gesture paired with practical steps aimed at preventing such a tragedy from ever happening again.
Join our WhatsApp service
Be first to know. Subscribe to Domestique on WhatsApp for free and stay up to date with all the latest from the world of cycling.
