Interview: Pascal Ritter und Simon Häring

German Version

Grace Brown, how do you look back on the World Cycling Championships in Zurich?

With mixed feelings. My focus was entirely on the first weekend when my time trial took place. My goal was to win this one. The mixed relay time trial was on Wednesday and I really enjoyed celebrating such a victory with the team since it was my last time racing alongside my compatriots. It was incredibly nice to share this with people I have worked with for a long time.

That was on Wednesday...

Yes, the first week was full of emotional highlights. And then on Thursday evening after the junior women's race came this devastating news, which felt difficult for both riders and staff. This is the worst thing that can happen in our sport, such a young life lost. My thoughts were with Muriel's family. It must be terrible to have to go through that. Even though I didn't know her, we mourn for her and her family.

The day after the news that Furrer had died, the women's road race took place. How did you deal with that?

It was difficult. You have to try to put it out of your mind somehow. If you don't do that, you can't race. We all know that accidents like this can happen, it has happened in the past. It was a very strange week with all the emotions.

What did you think about the World Cup continuing?

I think it was OK, but I think it's good that the family was asked what their wishes were. If we had stopped, it would have been out of respect, not fear.

They also drove past the spot on the City Circuit where Furrer is believed to have fallen. How did you and the other riders deal with it?

This tragedy hung like a heavy shadow over us all. There wasn't much to discuss about it. The road was wet for us too and I think we rode a little more carefully, even though this place wasn't extremely dangerous. As cyclists, we must decide for ourselves what risks we want to take. That was also the case in this race.

What feelings did you have at the start?

For me personally, little has changed. I was already aware of the risks of cycling. I have struggled from time to time in the past with the idea of ​​what might happen if I had a really bad fall. We crash a lot, and most of the time we get up and are okay. But then... We accept that as a reality in our sport because there is a lot of competition and pressure. Personally, I have often made a conscious decision not to do something because it was too risky.

What led you to consciously avoid risks?

Early in my career I had a terrible crash in Norway. I broke four ribs, had a huge flesh wound on my left forearm and a ruptured lung. I still remember lying on the side of the road not being able to breathe and thinking that maybe I was going to die. That was very scary. After that I thought about not racing anymore. I realized how fragile life is. After that I never rode with the same fearlessness again.

What role did the risks play in the decision for you to quit racing?

It wasn't the main reason, but it certainly played a role. I am relieved that I no longer have to expose myself to these risks and put myself in danger. This idea certainly made it easier for me to finish my career.

What can be done to prevent serious and fatal accidents in cycling?

Cycling comes with risks. We are traveling on the road at very high speeds on two narrow tyres with hardly any protection. Still, it's not like we can't do anything. Some of this is our own responsibility. But it takes the will of everyone involved: the riders, organisers, the UCI and teams.

What are you thinking about specifically?

We need a clear protocol if we want to address something dangerous in the race. It's difficult for riders to organise that in the race situation now. Then we need a more careful assessment of the race courses. We often ride on routes that are not safe. It's better at World Tour level, but we need the same standards in the lower categories too. And then there is also the aspect of racing behaviour that teams and riders need to take responsibility for.

How do you feel about radio?

I don't think racing without a radio is a good solution. A radio is particularly important in the event of a fall. In general, communication is important for security. For example when there is oil on the road. We need a way to communicate.

How do better bikes affect the risks in cycling?

I see the risks more in the road infrastructure, which makes racing dangerous. For example in the Netherlands, where there are an incredible number of signals, intersections, light signals, tram stops, fountains and so on. That makes it very dangerous. I'm not sure better bikes make racing more dangerous. But we certainly need to think carefully about how we can use technologies such as radio and GPS for security.

Muriel Furrer had a GPS-enabled device mounted under his saddle, but the position data was apparently not evaluated. How do you feel about this?

Unfortunately I can't say much about it because I don't have the expertise. What I can say is that it is good when technologies are available to increase security. But if the data is not monitored, it is of little help.

Furrer lay unnoticed and seriously injured in the forest for an hour and a half...

This definitely shouldn't happen again. I'm sure the race organisers and the UCI want to find answers as to how this could have happened. Nowadays it shouldn't happen that someone isn't found for hours. Maybe there is a solution other than GPS that could have prevented this situation. For example, the helmets can be equipped with crash sensors that trigger an alarm if there is an impact.

How do you assess the safety concept of the World Cycling Championships in Zurich?

I think it was generally well organised, although there are always some details missing for these once-off, large scale events. To have everything perfect is almost impossible. There was also some criticism that the descents in the time trials were unnecessarily dangerous.

As the winner of the time trial, how do you see this?

Although on a different course, Muriel's fall made me reflect. I had already ridden the course once before and found the descent to be very dangerous. I was hoping that the road would be resurfaced by the time of the race so that it wouldn't be so bumpy. I talked to my team about the descent, but it didn't occur to me to contact the race organisation. Looking back, I regret not doing that. We have a tendency to just accept it and ride as fast as we can.

Most of the bad accidents in the recent past have happened on downhill slopes. What do you think about neutralising races before descents?

This is an idea that could certainly make racing safer. Of course this would be criticised by traditionalists because downhills are part of being a complete cyclist. But it’s a solution to consider if we really care about safety. Unfortunately, I can't imagine that the people who have something to say in cycling approve of this. If the riders want this solution, I will support it.

What can riders contribute?

Teams often have the strategy of attacking on descents in order to distance themselves from competitors that might struggle with downhill skills. Being a fast descender is glorified. We all know the videos of Tom Pidcock riding down mountains at breakneck speed. And everyone praises him for it. Pidcock is incredibly skilled. But then the expectation arises that all riders should be able to do it. Some are pressured into descending faster than their abilities allow.

You were recently elected president of the riders' union. What goals are you pursuing?

We have achieved a lot in the last few years, not necessarily in terms of security. But for example when it comes to payment. We now have a minimum wage. There is maternity protection and we can provide the riders with good support in legal disputes. One of my goals is to increase our rider membership base. The larger the association, the more influence we can exert. Our most important task is to remind women riders that they have a voice.

The world cycling association UCI refers to the SafeR program. How do you feel about this?

So far it has been very vague as to how SafeR is being implemented. It is still in a pilot phase, and TCA have asked the UCI for clarification on how it will be evaluated and implemented, but we have received very little response. Our main concern with the program is that it’s not independent from the UCI, which means decisions will always be swayed by financial factors and real change for improved safety will be difficult.

You didn't finish their last road race, the Tre Valli Varesine, because of torrential rain. The men's race was canceled, the women's race was not. Are women treated differently?

Yes, definitely. We weren't respected there. There is a fear among women to speak up if it is too dangerous. Because we fear being portrayed as weak. That it could mean that we are not up to the challenge. This is definitely a problem. The men don't have to prove that they are tough.

Let's talk about more pleasant things. You became Olympic champion and world champion in the time trial, winning Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Why are you resigning now?

A year ago I was already thinking about resigning. Then I set myself the goal of achieving a very good result in a classic in the spring. And at the Olympic Games in Paris and at the World Cup in Zurich. It's crazy, almost surreal that I achieved all of this. It's like a dream that everything turned out so well.

Sie wussten jeweils, dass Sie ein Rennen zum letzten Mal bestreiten würden. Hat Sie das zusätzlich unter Druck gesetzt, oder konnten Sie es so geniessen?

Ich wollte mit einem Höhepunkt aufhören. Der Start war schwierig, ich zeigte nicht die erhofften Leistungen. Bis im Frühling genoss ich es nicht. Ich wollte im letzten Jahr nicht unter meinen Möglichkeiten bleiben. Da setzte ich mich stärker unter Druck. Dann kam plötzlich alles zusammen, und der Sieg bei Lüttich–Bastogne–Lüttich gab mir die Freiheit, mich zu entspannen und meine anderen Ziele zu verfolgen.

But why do you still stop?

It makes me sad to leave the sport when I'm at my peak. On the other hand, I'm not one of those athletes who never gets enough and is always hungry for more. I see it more like this: I had my goals, I went all in and it all worked out. I don't need to repeat it to make it even better.

How emotional was it when you decided to quit?

My biggest fear was that I would disappoint people and let them down. Everyone who believed in me, supported me and accompanied me. I didn't want that. But once I announced it, I overwhelmingly received a lot of great feedback and a lot of understanding. Everyone knows what I have sacrificed for cycling.

Did no one try to stop you from resigning?

Oh yes, of course (laughs). Above all, my fans, but also my team. But I was never put under pressure because they understood my decision. And of course the questions about the Olympic victory and the world championship title came up again.

You always knew that you would be taking part in a race for the last time. Did that put you under any additional pressure or were you even able to enjoy it?

I wanted to end with a climax. The start of the year was difficult; I didn't perform as well as I had hoped. I didn't enjoy it until spring. I didn't want to stay below my potential during my last year. I put more pressure on myself. Then suddenly everything came together and winning Liège-Bastogne-Liège gave me the freedom to relax and pursue my other goals.

One of the reasons was homesickness, right?

Yes, that's right. Since becoming a professional athlete, I have lived in Europe for most of the year, far away from my family and my husband, who came to Europe for a few weeks at a time. It often felt like living a half-life when the people I cared about weren't around me. I knew I couldn't go on like this forever.

What does your new life look like now?

Normally, now that the season is over, I would take time for things that were neglected. Now I have to figure out what I want my life to look like. But over the next few months I'll be working at events including the World Tour races taking place in Australia at the start of the year. I will probably be used as a commentator for this. So I don't plan on starting a 9-to-5 job (laughs).

As your Strava profile reveals, you've started running...

I started again (laughs)! Before I became a cyclist, I was a runner! But that's not a good idea as a cyclist and quite dangerous.

Why is that?

The cardiovascular system is in top shape, but the joints are not ready for the shock. So I have to take things a little slower than I was used to.