Gino Mäder: the cyclist succumbed to his injuries after a fall, what happened?

Cyclist Gino Mäder died on Friday June 16, 2023. The day before, the rider had suffered a terrible fall during the 5th stage of the Tour de Suisse. He was 26 years old.

[Mis à jour le 16 juin 2023 à 13h45] It’s a fatal fall. This Friday, June 16, cyclist Gino Mäder died of his injuries the day after a terrible fall during the fifth stage of the Tour de Suisse, at the age of 26. The Bahrain-Victorious team in which the Swiss sportsman was running announced the sad news: “It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts that we have to announce the death of Gino Mäder. […] Gino lost his fight to recover from the serious injuries he had suffered.”

The fall of Gino Mäder occurred on Thursday June 15, during the fifth stage of the Swiss Tour de Suisse event. He fell “at very high speed” at the 197th kilometer of the race during the descent from the Albula pass, according to a press release from the organizers relayed by franceinfo. The runner fell into a ravine, specifies The Team. He was then found “inert in the water” by the race doctor who arrived on site within two minutes, according to the organizers. The runner was then “resuscitated on the spot by the medical personnel, who also performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation, before being airlifted to the hospital”, indicates his team. But despite the efforts of the rescuers, the climber “could not meet his last and greatest challenge”, is moved by the Bahrain-Victorious formation.

A broken fate for a promising cyclist

“Bahrain-Victorious will run in his honor, keeping his memory on every road we travel,” said Milan Erzen, general manager of Gino Mäder’s training, reports Eurosport. “We are determined to show the spirit and passion that Gino showed, and he will always remain an integral part of our team,” he added. The 26-year-old Swiss rider was a rising star in cycling. As reminded franceinfo, he had notably been crowned best young rider during the Vuelta 2021, had won a stage during the Tour of Italy the same year, and had finished in second place on the podium during the Tour de Romandie the following year. In the minutes following the terrible announcement of the death of Gino Mäder, the organizers of the Tour de Suisse indicated that this Friday’s stage will be neutralized, indicates franceinfo. All the cyclists will form a procession which will only ride for the last 30 kilometers in order to pay tribute to the Swiss rider.

The world of cycling and sport is shaken by the death of Gino Mäder. On the Tour de Suisse, the peloton is stunned. The 6th stage between La Punt and Oberwill-Lieli has been neutralized. All the runners will cover 30 kilometers in tribute to the former Bahrain runner Victorius. Since the announcement of his death, there has been a shower of tributes. Julian Alaphilippe said he was “terribly shocked” on twitter, remembering “the warrior and the chic guy” he was.

Michał Kwiatkowski’s thoughts go out to Gino Maider’s family like those of Geraint Thomas “who can’t believe what he read”. Frenchman Pierre Rolland “lost his words”. Alexis Vuillermoz talked about “this sport, which brings us so much, but where everything can collapse in a fraction of a second… “. The last time a cyclist died in the middle of a race was Niels de Vriendt in 2020. Peter Sagan also expressed his sadness by commenting soberly “rest in peace”.