Cycle Store Zürich & 2024 UCI Road Championships
A celebration of cycling and of life
Remembering Muriel Furrer
Before we talk about anything concerning the 2024 Road Cycling World Championships and the surrounding cycling festival at Zurich, let us all pause and take a moment to reflect on the life and tragic loss of 18 years of age Swiss rider, Muriel Furrer. At such a young age, and with her whole life ahead of her, Muriel unfortunately crashed during the racing and subsequently lost her life. It is for all of us within the cycling world to pause and to say a prayer for Muriel; and, as we all ride into our own futures, to remember Muriel and all of those young riders so tragically lost in recent time.
Cycling and the World Championships is, and should be about celebrating our sport. It is an opportunity for all cycling fans to come together and to ride in unison, to enjoy a life on 2-wheels and see who rides to the front of the peloton as our champions. Muriel was undoubtably a young woman who would have graced cycling as a leader, and Zurich 2024 – in her home country, Switzerland, should be for her memory. We should all continue to ride, but to do so safely and to celebrate the freedom and adventure and challenges that cycling brings to us.
Cycling isn’t a sport, nor simply a way of life. It’s a whole sub-culture of like-minded people who exist in a closely knit global community, and Zurich 2024 allowed us all to come together and to celebrate cycling and celebrate life. Having been present in Zurich some months earlier this summer, it is a beautiful, cultured, historic and vibrant place. It is the perfect place to be a fan of life and living.
3T Bikes – Zurich 2024
3T bikes are one of those brands that form the beating heart of our global cycling community. This small brand, whose ethos is based on innovation and excellence, presented themselves and their latest bikes, during the cycling festival that preceded and accompanied the World Championship racing at Zurich. With events based at the partner retailer, Cycle Store Zurich, they and other leading brands hosted several events for the cycling public, mainly with Pas Normal Studios, performance cycle clothing – a like-minded brand, where quality counts. Cycle Store, Zurich is a great place for the best kit and equipment, and 3T were able to showcase the latest bikes, such as the Strada road bike and the Race Max Italia gravel bike.
Paolo Bettini Rides from Cycle Store, Zurich
On Tuesday, 24 September, alongside 3T and Paolo Bettini, Cycle Store Zurich organized three different social rides, to embrace all-comers and to widen participation: one gravel bike, one women’s road ride, and also one men’s road ride. The rides were planned by Phillip from Cycle Store Zurich, who also arranged the necessary guides to take people on the best routes.
Former Olympic and World Champion for Italy, Paolo, known as one of the strongest riders in history, joined the men’s – or better styled, the unisex – road ride, giving ordinary cyclists the opportunity to cycle with one of the all-time greats from our sport. The routes went up into the hills that surround Zurich and the beautiful Lake, before returning to the store, where Paolo spoke with as many people as possible and signed autographs.
The Apre-ride food and drinks were typically Italian, with Paolo himself bringing some amazing Salami and Salsiccia from his home in Tuscany. It was all rounded up with excellent Italian red wine, cheese – of course – and some grapes, to add the necessary fruit! What was evident during the event was how we are all simply cyclists when we gather together – whoever we are and whatever our abilities. We all simply love cycling; it’s just that Paolo is better than us all!
Dani, the owner of Cycle Store hosted everyone superbly in his popular and centrally located store, and we were able to share our love of cycling with Dani and his knowledgeable team, and to show the global cycling community how 3T continues to innovate and design some of the best high-performance cycles in the world, for riders at every level. Ultimately, it’s about celebrating life and adventure when we cycle, and seeking new challenges. Let’s remember this as we ride into the future; and let’s remember Muriel Furrer and the other young riders who have so tragically left us too soon – and let us continue to celebrate cycling in their memory, remembering that every day we cycle is a privilege.
written by Robert Thorpe & Kolja Grischa Keetman