The sixth stage of the Tour de Suisse between Chur and Oberwil-Lieli has been “neutralised” following the death of Swiss rider Gino Mäder, who suffered a serious crash at the end of the stage the previous day, the organisation announced on Friday.
“The peloton will start the last 30 kilometres; the race will be neutralised today, and all the riders will form a procession in tribute” to the 26-year-old rider from the Bahrain-Victorious team “to the finish town”, the event’s officials announced.
Mäder crashed on Thursday together with Magnus Sheffield whilst descending the final climb in the queen stage over the Albula Pass, in which speeds of 100 km/h were reached. The Swiss rider lay motionless in a river and had to be resuscitated. He was transferred to hospital by helicopter.
Our thoughts are with Gino’s family, friends and his entire @BHRVictorious .
RIP Gino🙏❤️ pic.twitter.com/l8Q5x10AhS — @UAE-TeamEmirates (@TeamEmiratesUAE) June 16, 2023
The tragic news was revealed by Mäder's family on Friday afternoon, leading the race organisers to cancel the day's stage. The competitors will instead ride the final 30km of the planned course in a neutralised tribute to the deceased rider.
The young rider was a formidable force and often shaped races at the highest level of the sport. His team director Milan Erzen was heartbroken, saying: "We are devastated by the loss of our exceptional rider. Not only was he extremely talented on the bike, but he was also a great person off it."
Such heart-breaking scenes at the Tour de Suisse today. I hope that everybody gets the time they need to process this. The cycling community is relatively small and this news will no doubt touch everyone. It's just so terribly sad. Photos by Getty pic.twitter.com/iSBA4POnmO
— Sadhbh O'Shea (@SadhbhOS) June 16, 2023
