Tributes made to young cyclist Muriel Furrer following fatal crash

The cycling world is in mourning following the passing of young rider Muriel Furrer.

Tributes have been made to the 18-year-old, who crashed during the junior road race on Thursday (26 September) at the 2024 UCI Road and Para-cycling World Championships in her homeland of Switzerland.

Furrer died on Friday at Zurich University Hospital after suffering "a serious head injury" and "being flown to hospital by helicopter in a very critical condition," the Union Cycliste International (UCI) said in a statement.

"With the passing of Muriel Furrer, the international cycling community loses a rider with a bright future ahead of her," UCI added.

Swiss Cycling led the tributes for the teenager, taking to X (formerly Twitter) to write: “Our hearts are broken. We have no words.

“It is with a heavy heart and infinite sadness that we have to say goodbye to Muriel Furrer today. We are losing a warm-hearted and wonderful young woman who always had a smile on her face.

“There is no understanding, only pain and sadness.”

Among those paying their respects was British Cycling, who also tweeted a tribute to Furrer that read: “Muriel was a devoted young rider with a bright future ahead of her and will be sorely missed by the cycling world.

“We send our condolences to her family, friends, and teammates at Swiss Cycling.”