Cycling mourns Gino Mäder. The 26-year-old Swiss succumbed to injuries sustained after a serious crash on stage five of the Tour de Suisse in his home country. This was announced by his team Bahrain-Victorious on Friday.
Mäder and the American Magnus Sheffield had to be hospitalized on Thursday, according to Tour de Suisse director Olivier Senn. Both riders had fallen on a high-speed descent on the Albula Pass near St. Moritz and swept down a cliff. When the race doctor arrived within two minutes, Sheffield was responsive. He was taken to the hospital with bruises and a concussion.
Mäder, on the other hand, lay motionless in the water of a stream bed. “He was immediately resuscitated and taken to the hospital in Chur with a rescue helicopter,” it said. His team wrote on Thursday: “Our thoughts and prayers are with Gino.”
On Friday it became known that any help came too late for girls. “We are devastated by the loss of our exceptional cyclist Gino Mäder. His talent, dedication and enthusiasm were an inspiration to all of us. Not only was he an extremely talented cyclist, but he was also a great person off the bike. We send our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones and our thoughts are with them at this difficult time. Bahrain Victorious will race in his honor and keep his memory alive on every road we travel. We are determined to show the spirit and passion that Gino has shown and he will always remain an integral part of our team,” said team manager Milan Erzen. Mäder had been a professional since 2019 when he started for Team Dimension Data. Two years later he joined Team Bahrain-Victorious, for whom he won a stage at the 2021 Giro d’Italia.
World Champion Remco Evenepoel from Belgium was among the drivers who criticized the organizers because of the route. It wasn’t a smart idea to place the finish of such a stage after a descent, said the 23-year-old, according to the Swiss newspaper “Blick”. “But you obviously still need more spectacle. Something just has to happen for you to react,” said Evenepoel.
The sixth stage of the Tour de Suisse has officially been cancelled. The stage will not take place as planned, the tour organizers announced on Friday via the official live ticker. Instead, the field of riders will complete a commemorative ride over the last 30 kilometers of the planned sixth stage in memory of Mäder. The commemoration is scheduled to start at 4:00 p.m. The arrival at the destination Oberwil-Lieli is then planned for 4.40 p.m.
