Switzerland's Anja Grossman won the junior women's title at the European Cyclocross Championships in Pontevedra and paid an emotional, tear-filled tribute to her former teammate Muriel Furrer, who died in a crash at the Road World Championships.
Grossman beat Barbora Bukovská (Czechia) and Giorgia Pellizotti (Italy) to the line at the end of the 37-minute race after the trio plus Mae Cabaca (Netherlands) went clear at the front in the second half of the race. The final lap saw the podium contenders battle over the win, with Grossman pushing on late in the race and pulling out a small gap which she held to the finish line.
Muriel Furrer sustained a critical head injury when she crashed in the junior women's road race at the Zurich world championships in late September. Local authorities and the UCI have declined to say how soon Furrer was located and how quickly she received medical treatment, sparking questions about rider safety.
Grossman pointed to the sky as she won the European tile and was in tears on the podium.
Grossman said that she "rode today and every day" for Furrer and said that the weeks since her death have been the hardest of her life.
"I worked for this really hard and it means the world to me to race races and win races and titles. Everyone wants it and it's just a dream to come to another," Grossman said.
"I'm a first-year junior and especially I rode today and every day for my friend Muriel who passed away a few weeks ago. It has been the hardest weeks of my life, the last weeks. I mean I gave everything for her, and she was with me.
"Her family are the loveliest people I know, and it was very hard but I managed to have a clear mind in this situation when I needed it."
Grossman, who turned 16 last month, went on to thank those who had supported her during her cycling career.
"It means the world to me and I want to thank everyone I know – my family, my boyfriend, my team, my sponsor, my friends and everyone around me who is there for me because without them I would not be here and win this title. And also to Swiss Cycling – they do the best job they can do to bring me on this level.
"It's an incredible day and it was an incredible feeling to cross the finish line. It's unbelievable."
