Bakelants and Boonen stunned by fatal accident at World Championships: "I'm afraid it will be no different this time"

The 2024 Cycling World Championships became an edition with many faces to it. Of course, there were the beautiful victories of many riders, but what lingers is the tragic accident involving young Swiss rider Muriel Furrer. Despite this, many analysts fear that Furrer's fatal crash will once again be overshadowed in the future. Among them, Tom Boonen and Jan Bakelants are now determined to change that.

Both men reacted to the accident on Sporza. They are keen to ensure that Furrer's accident is not forgotten, though they fear it will be. "Unfortunately, this will likely become the World Championships of Tadej Pogacar and Lotte Kopecky. History teaches us that such incidents are quickly forgotten. Except by the family and teammates, of course. But I'm afraid it will be no different this time," says the former sprinter.

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Alarm bells ringing: "The sport refuses to look in the mirror"

Bakelants and Boonen continued their discussion of the accident, which for them is indicative of the state of the sport. Real progress in terms of safety is still not being made. "It makes us angry. I find it unbelievable how the sport refuses to look in the mirror and how these kinds of accidents keep happening. It's just too much. In the last year and a half alone, we’ve had three fatal accidents in UCI-organized races," noted the former RadioShack rider, referencing the deaths of Gino Mäder and André Drege.

Boonen echoed the sentiment. "The hypocrisy of the UCI is enormous. In the Tour de France, they reprimanded Julien Bernard for stopping to give his child a hug. My daughters are turning 10, and they're looking for a sport. But cycling? I'm not eager to encourage that." The former sprinter also looked back at the incident itself, immediately pointing out areas for improvement. "Was no one tracking where everyone was located? And just ensure that no one can slip under those barriers during descents," he fumed.

Bakelants also shared a striking story. "I was in a panel discussion with UCI officials some time ago. The question was whether there are actually more incidents now than before. But that's not the point, is it? The point is how we can get to zero incidents." Finally, the analyst stressed that the UCI needs to take the initiative to address the seriousness of the situation. "The day after, everyone talks about something else again. That's how the story fades into the background, and that's exactly what these organizations count on to get away with it. This can't go on any longer," Bakelants stated clearly.

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