Three teams drop out of Tour de Suisse after cyclist’s death
Tour de Suisse cycling race organizers said they would resume the multi-stage race on Saturday, a day after a rider died from injuries sustained in a crash during a high-speed downhill run.
The rider, Gino Mäder, was part of the Bahrain-Victorious team, which announced on Saturday morning to withdraw from the race. Two other teams Tudor pro And Intermarché-Circus-Wantyalso said they had decided to abandon the race.
The riders of the Bahrain-Victorious team, as well as the rest of the participants, were notified of Mäder’s death on Friday morning – a day after he went off the track and tumbled into a steep ravine. The riders took part in a shortened memorial ride on Friday to replace the day stage, which was called off.
But with the race, a major tune-up for the Tour de France next month, returning this weekend for the final two competitive stages, Bahrain-Victorious confirmed on social media Saturday morning that his team would not be competing.
“Following the tragic loss of Gino Mäder,” the team said in a post on Twitter, “Team Bahrain Victorious has made the decision to withdraw from the Tour de Suisse.”
Two other teams soon followed. Both cited the well-being of their riders in their decision to drop out. “Under these difficult circumstances, we feel it is the human way to respect our riders’ feelings and respect Gino,” said Tudor Pro’s statement.
Race officials said late Friday that they had made the decision to continue the match in consultation with the family of Mäder, one of Switzerland’s best young riders. As scheduled, a four-stage women’s event kicks off on Saturday.
“After consultation with all concerned, we as management stand behind this decision and are seeking to keep the final two stages of the men’s race in an appropriate setting,” Tour race director Olivier Senn said in a statement.
“Today was the worst day of my life,” Senn added in the statement. “But tomorrow is a new day and we as an organization have to take care of that.”
Police are investigating the crash and officials would be interested in hearing from witnesses who may have seen and filmed the episode.
Mäder crashed along with an American rider, Magnus Sheffield, on Thursday near the end of the fifth leg of the week-long race, which ends with a final descent over the Albula Pass. The final stretch where the crash occurred, just after a big downhill curve on an exposed road with mountains on the left and a steep drop-off just past the right, was mostly empty as the riders passed through.
Photos of the area of the crash showed what appeared to be two sets of tire tracks leading to the edge of a sharp slope above where Mäder and Sheffield fell.
Mäder and Sheffield were treated where they settled down near a set of drains down a long slope. Sheffield, reportedly suffering a concussion and cuts and bruises, appeared to be able to walk back up the hill with assistance. Race officials said Mäder was revived on the spot after being discovered “motionless in the water”. After initial treatment, he was evacuated from the scene by helicopter.
At least one rider, the reigning world champion Remco Evenepoel, suggested that the course need not be so treacherous.
“I hope today’s stage finale is food for thought for both cycling organizers and ourselves as riders,” Evenepoel said on Twitter after the crash but before the seriousness of Mäder’s condition was known. “It was not a good decision to let us finish this dangerous descent. As riders we also have to think about the risks we take when going down a mountain.”