The Bahrain team announced on Friday the death of cyclist Gino Mäder, 26, as a result of the hard fall suffered in the fifth stage of the Tour of Switzerland, when he descended at high speed from the alpine pass of Albulapass. “Gino, thank you for the light, the joy and the laughter that you brought us all, we will miss you as a cyclist and as a person. Today and every day, we pedal for you, Gino”, the Italian team said goodbye to their cyclist.
Those responsible for the race explained that the accident occurred six kilometers from the finish line, at a “high speed” point. “The race doctor was at the crash site within two minutes,” explained Vuelta director Oliver Senn. Mäder was taken to the hospital in Chur by Rega, where he did not get over the serious injuries sustained.
Magnus Sheffield (21), from the Ineos Grenadiers team, also fell at the same point of relegation. The American, however, suffered less serious injuries. Mäder, a teammate of the Spanish Pello Bilbao and Mikel Landa, was not competing for the victory of a stage that Juan Ayuso ended up winning. The odometer of the motorcycle that followed the Valencian, escaped solo for victory, indicated a speed of 103 kilometers hours a few meters after the place where the Swiss accident occurred.
The Flawil-born was thrown down the mountainside and his body was found lifeless in a small stream. Doctors revived him before he was airlifted to hospital. “We are devastated by the loss of our exceptional cyclist, Gino Mäder. His talent, dedication and enthusiasm were an inspiration to all of us,” said the Bahrain director after the cyclist’s death at 11:30 a.m. this Friday.
Mäder was 27th overall after the dispute of a fourth stage in which he lost more than 11 minutes after being away for 53 kilometers. In tribute to the Swiss, the organization of the Tour of Switzerland has decided to neutralize the sixth stage between Chur and Oberwil-Lieli. The peloton will run the last 30 kilometers of the stage.
Mäder was a good time trialist who got better and better at climbing the mountains. His best results came in 2021, the year in which he also achieved fifth place in the Tour of Spain and won the sixth stage of the Giro d’Italia, after escaping from the peloton. Among his achievements, the second place in the Tour de Romandie last year also stands out.