Taking a bronze medal in a World Championships is an emotional moment for any young rider, but that was particularly the case for Switzerland’s Anja Grossman after finishing third in the 2025 junior road race – and stepping onto the podium a year on from the death of her teammate Muriel Furrer during the same event.
Furrer, a talented Swiss junior, died in tragic circumstances during the junior road race at the World Championships in Zurich in 2024, crashing off the course and not being found for some time.
A year on, her teammate Grossmann, who was not racing in Zurich but went through the Swiss Cycling development programme with Furrer, raced to third in Kigali as only a first-year junior.
The 16-year-old had dreamt of winning, and fought hard to be in the five-rider group that escaped in the finale. But coming away with bronze was still a huge success after the challenge of even taking the start on Saturday.
“For me it was really hard last year on this day because Muriel passed away and I had to do many things even to stand on the start line and be ready in my mind,” Grossmann said.
“So now to be in the medal here is just perfect, it’s super-super. I had another dream [to win] but I can be proud because I tried everything.”
Racing at her first World Championships, among many riders a year older than her and already on their way to the WorldTour, Grossmann was always amongst the action and trying to attack, eventually making it into the winning group.
Amongst her analysis of her tactics, Grossmann also remembered her late friend, and the impact her death had on the Swiss team.
“She had such a big impact on all of our cycling family. She was such a good friend, she was such a lovely person. With all my heart I raced today for her, and what I did is to honour her,” she said.
“That shows how much she affected us and how much we are all happy to have known her. It was the hardest time of our life for Swiss Cycling, and today I just tried, and I know she’s with me and she was with us the whole race and she’s watching us from above.”
Grossmann also dedicated her European cyclocross title last year to Furrer.
On Friday, the UCI announced that Furrer’s number 84 would be retired from the junior women’s road race, and her death also spurred action from the governing body to introduce GPS trackers in a bid to avoid any similar incidents in the future.
“I think we can all learn from Muriel, she was just such a calm girl and she always had clear goals in her mind and she always believed so much,” Grossmann said.
“That was what made her. It’s important to remember her for our whole lives, and it’s important to honour her in races like the UCI did with her number. We will never forget her and she’s always in my heart.”
Grossmann paid further tribute to the wider Swiss Cycling team, who have now taken four medals at this World Championships, with Marlen Reusser’s time trial win, Jan Huber’s silver in the men’s under-23 road race, and a team bronze in the mixed relay TTT.
“I think we have the best team behind us,” she said. “The coaches, the nutritionist, the chef, everyone does everything so we can win medals and we can perform at our best.
“It’s by having the best people behind us that makes us so fast. They help us from when we’re little kids until now and they support us on every step. Even when we’re not winning medals, they support us to try to do everything we can.”
“We won so many medals here this year, just thank you to them. We are all really grateful for all the staff behind us.”
Amongst all the mixed emotions for Grossmann, there was also a hint of disappointment, but the 16-year-old offered wisdom beyond her age as she reflected on her achievement and her future.
“To every young rider, [I would say] just to believe in yourself and to surround yourself with people that support you at hard times and at good times,” she said.
“Mistakes can happen, and it’s okay, but you have to learn from them,” she continued.
“I had a dream today, but I’ve won the bronze medal, and that’s super and I’m happy about that. What makes a real champion is to learn from those mistakes and to grow and learn from every race. Today I will learn my lessons and I will get stronger from them.”
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