On Friday, the Bahrain-Victorious team announced the death of Swiss cyclist Gino Mader, 26, after he suffered a crash during the fifth stage of the Tour of Switzerland on Thursday and was found unconscious. Despite the efforts of the medical team at the Coire hospital, where he was transferred and revived, the climber was unable to overcome his serious injuries and died at 11:30 (09:30 GMT), Bahrain-Victorious said in a statement.
Mader, who was in 27th position in the overall standings, suffered the fall at kilometer 197 of the race’s queen stage, during the descent of the Col de la Albula, after a grueling day with three climbs at altitudes above 2,000 meters.
He was found unconscious in a ravine near the road and later revived and transferred to Coire Hospital by helicopter. The severity of his injuries had not been determined at the time, the organization said.
However, on Friday, Bahrain-Victorious reported that Gino was unable to recover from his serious injuries and lost the battle. The team expressed its devastation at the tragic accident and sent its thoughts and prayers to Gino’s family and loved ones during this extremely difficult period.
Mader, who won a stage in the 2021 Giro d’Italia, was considered one of Swiss cycling’s most promising stage racers. He was fifth overall and winner of the best young rider category at the 2021 Vuelta a España.
In the same crash on the Albula descent, American cyclist Magnus Sheffield (Ineos-Grenadiers) also crashed and was hospitalized with contusions and a concussion.
Following the tragic event, the Tour of Switzerland decided to neutralize Friday’s sixth stage as a tribute to Gino Mader, where riders completed the last 30 kilometers as a procession in his memory.