Bakelants and Boonen stunned by fatal accident at World Championships: “I’m afraid it won’t be any different this time”

The 2024 World Cycling Championships became an edition with many faces. Of course there were beautiful victories for many drivers, but what remains is the tragic accident of the young Swiss driver Muriel Furrer. Nevertheless, many analysts fear that Furrer’s fatal crash will be overshadowed again in the future. Among them, Tom Boonen and Jan Bakelants are now determined to change that.

Both men responded to the accident Sporza. They want to make sure Furrer’s accident is not forgotten, even though they fear it will be. “Unfortunately, this will probably be the World Cup of Tadej Pogacar and Lotte Kopecky. History teaches us that such incidents are quickly forgotten. Except of course from the family and teammates. But I’m afraid it won’t be any different this time,” says the former sprinter.

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Alarm bells are ringing: “Sport refuses to look in the mirror”

Bakelants and Boonen continued their discussion about the accident, which they say is indicative of the state of the sport. There is still no real progress in terms of security. “It makes us angry. I find it incredible how sport refuses to look in the mirror and how accidents like this keep happening. That’s just too much. In the last year and a half alone we have had three fatal accidents.” “Race organized by the UCI,” noted the former RadioShack rider, referring to the deaths of Gino Mäder and André Drege.

Boonen echoed that sentiment. “The UCI’s hypocrisy is enormous. At the Tour de France they reprimanded Julien Bernard for stopping to hug his child. My daughters are turning 10 and are looking for a sport. But cycling? I don’t.” I really want to promote that. The former sprinter also looked back on the incident itself and immediately pointed out opportunities for improvement. “Didn’t anyone keep track of where everyone was? And just make sure that no one can slip under these barriers on the way down,” he railed.

Bakelants also told a remarkable story. “I was in a panel discussion with UCI representatives a while ago. The question was whether there are actually more incidents now than before. But that’s not the point, is it? It’s about how we can achieve zero incidents.” Finally, the analyst emphasized that the UCI must take the initiative to address the seriousness of the situation. “The next day everyone is talking about something else. This pushes history into the background, which is exactly what these organizations are counting on to get by. “It can’t go on like this any longer,” Bakelants made clear.

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