Jean-Baptiste Sarrazin / Photo credit: PHILIPPE LOPEZ / AFP
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10:41 p.m., June 18, 2023
After the tragic accident in the Tour de Suisse, the Swiss rider Gino Mäder, 26, succumbed to his injuries. A death which caused a shock wave in the world of cycling and which made Marc Madiot, the general manager of Groupama-FDJ, react in the program Europe 1 Sports (live every evening from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Europe 1). “He’s a rider we knew. I even positioned myself a few years ago to try to recruit him, unfortunately without success”, recalled the manager of the cycling team.
“Inert in Water”
Gino Mäder, then 27th in the general classification after five stages, fell on Thursday at km 197 of the queen stage of the Swiss event, between Fiesch and La Punt, in the descent of the Albula pass, after an exhausting day marked by three ascents beyond 2,000 m altitude and 4,710 m of elevation gain. He had been found “inert in the water” of a ravine below the road and transported to Chur hospital after being resuscitated. But the next day, “Gino lost his fight to recover from the serious injuries he had suffered”, explained the Bahrain-Victorious, who said he was “devastated by this tragic accident”.
This tragic accident brings safety in cycling up to date. According to Marc Madiot, the route taken was no more dangerous than another: “Making arrivals at the bottom of the passes has existed since there were cycle races. I saw the images on television and the descent didn’t seem particularly dangerous to me even though she was very fast. I think the organizers had done everything right,” he said.
Alert on security
But still according to him, this accident must “warn about security problems”. “I think we have a concern for safety in cycling. Motorsport is more secure today,” said Marc Madiot. Increasing the weight of the bikes or even setting up a radio common to all cyclists, these are the tracks mentioned by the general manager of the Groupama-FDJ team.
Security that is not guaranteed today within the peloton. And Marc Madiot goes even further to reinforce this opinion: “I am a father, I have a 13-year-old kid and I don’t want my child to be a cyclist. And that’s dramatic.”
Mäder was one of the main Swiss hopes in stage races, and ranked 5th and best youngster in the Tour of Spain 2021. American Magnus Sheffield (Ineos-Grenadiers) fell in the same place and was hospitalized with “bruises and a concussion”, according to the organization. Behind the stage winner, the Spaniard Juan Ayuso, the following motorcycle had been flashed at more than 100 km / h, according to the official direct from the Tour de Suisse.