2023-06-16 12:17:59
The Swiss professional cyclist Gino Mäder died following his serious fall on the Tour de Suisse. His team Bahrain Victorious announced the news on Friday. The 26-year-old Mäder fell on Thursday on the fifth stage in the descent from the Albula to the finish in La Punt and had to be resuscitated. He was flown to the hospital in Chur. Mäder succumbed to his serious injuries there the next day. The sixth stage planned for Friday has been cancelled.
“We are devastated by the loss of our exceptional driver, Gino Mäder. His talent, dedication and enthusiasm have been an inspiration to all of us,” said team manager Milan Erzen in a statement. The team will drive in his honor. Before the start of the 6th stage in Chur, the members hugged and mourned. The two Austrians Rainer Kepplinger and Hermann Pernsteiner, who also drive for Bahrain, are not there in Switzerland.
Before the death was announced, there was still hope. Roland Kretsch, the doctor at the accident site, told the daily newspaper “Blick” that the resuscitation went quickly and well. The girl, lying motionless in a stream, was resuscitated, stabilized and then flown to the hospital. The athlete was unconscious the whole time.
During the preparation race for the Tour de France, the American Magnus Sheffield also fell on Thursday and was also taken to the hospital. He suffered a concussion and bruises. The two accidents occurred from the Albula Pass on the rapid descent at around 100 km/h to the destination of La Punt.
The police have started the investigation and have called witnesses. The organizers of the tour, in consultation with Mäder’s team and his family, have meanwhile decided to continue the race. After Mäder’s fatal fall, the sixth stage on Friday was canceled. Instead, the field completed a commemorative drive over the last 30 kilometers of the planned section. Team Bahrain announced their withdrawal from the Tour. East Tyrolean Felix Gall starts the weekend in second place, eight seconds behind Mattias Skjelmose from Denmark, who is wearing the yellow jersey.
World Champion Remco Evenepoel was among the drivers who criticized the organizers for the route. It wasn’t a smart idea to place the finish of such a stage following a descent, the Belgian said according to “Blick”. “But you obviously still need more spectacle. Something just has to happen for you to react,” said Evenepoel before the sad news.
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