Cyclist dies after mountain crash in Tour de Suisse
A Swiss cyclist who crashed during a rapid descent during the Tour de Suisse has died on Friday, a day after he and another competitor fell into a ravine in the Swiss Alps.
The rider, Gino Mäder of Switzerland, was taken to hospital on Thursday after the crash, but died of his injuries on Friday morning. said in a statement.
Friday’s stage was canceled after race organizers notified the other teams and the race’s other riders of the death of Mäder, 26, about 30 minutes before it was due to start. The tour, an important preparation race for next month’s Tour de France, is scheduled to run through Sunday.
Some riders were in tears after hearing the news with the rest of the participants. Race organizers said the peloton would ride part of Friday’s planned route together as a tribute to Mäder. The race is expected to resume on Saturday.
Mäder crashed along with an American rider, Magnus Sheffield, on stage 5 of the week-long race, a day that ends with a final descent over the Albula Pass, in the Swiss Alps. The final stretch where the crash occurred, on an unprotected mountain road with mountains on the left and a drop off just past the right, was mostly empty as the riders passed through.
Mäder and Sheffield were treated where they came to rest, near a set of plumbing pipes along a sharp slope. Sheffield, reportedly suffering a concussion and cuts and bruises, appeared to be able to walk back up the hill with assistance. Mäder was more seriously injured. After initial treatment, he was evacuated from the scene by helicopter.
“Gino Mäder lay motionless in the water”, race organizers said in a statement after the crash. “He was immediately resuscitated and then transported by air ambulance to Chur hospital.”
According to another rider in the race, Mäder and Sheffield apparently fell off their bikes and then fell off an embankment.
“After a long bend, two bicycles were lying on the side of the road, which did not look good,” says the cyclist That is what Roland Thalmann told Swiss broadcaster SRF. “When I looked back, I saw that two riders were quite far down.”
Another rider suggested that the crash, and the area where it occurred, should be a warning to race organizers.
“I hope today’s stage finale is food for thought for both cycling organizers and ourselves as riders,” said reigning world champion Remco Evenepoel said on Twitter after the crash but before news of Mäder’s death became public. “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 descending a mountain.” Evenepoel is fourth in the Tour of Switzerland.
Mäder’s career highlights included a fifth place in the Vuelta a España and a stage win in the Giro d’Italia in 2021. This season he finished fifth in the Paris-Nice race behind two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar.
Serious injury and death of professional cyclists in accidents are not uncommon, although they usually occur in collisions with cars during practice. In competitions, the danger is greatest on downhills, where riders can reach speeds of 100 kilometers per hour.
Italian rider Fabio Casartelli, a teammate of Lance Armstrong, was killed after a crash during a descent in the 1995 Tour de France.