DPA
· 17.06.2023
Swiss professional cyclist Gino Mäder has died at the age of 26 following his serious crash on the fifth stage of the Tour de Suisse. This is according to the Swiss media:
"Tagesanzeiger": "He was at least as much a person as a professional cyclist. Gino Mäder donated to Swiss glaciers and always tried to be at peace with himself."
"Keystone-SDA: "With a horizon beyond the handlebars. (...) However, he will not primarily be remembered for his sporting achievements, but for his commitment to the climate and other sensitive issues that tend to be suppressed in top-class sport - even his employer Bahrain Victorious did not escape unscathed. (...) Mäder accepted the fact that he was sometimes ridiculed as a cycling romantic. He was committed to the climate, although as a globetrotter he could not prevent a huge ecological footprint. He stood by his word, he stood by the contradictions, he wanted to change something."
"NZZ: "Gino Mäder wanted to make the world a better place. He was much more than a professional cyclist with the potential for great victories: the Swiss Gino Mäder, who died in an accident, was inspired by the desire to be there for others. He proved that athletes don't have to be egotists. His openness was extraordinary."
"Blick: "Then comes that one moment that changes everything, that ends a young life. In the case of Gino Mäder, we don't know what happened in the accident. But we do know that at this speed, it only takes one small thing to cause a catastrophe. On 16 June, fate abruptly took Gino Mäder from this world. The blink of an eye and nothing is as it once was. A tragedy for his loved ones. It shows us: there will never be sport without risk."
"Aargauer Zeitung": "The full drama of chance only becomes visible in sport. That is why it is the soul of sport. But chance is a cruel god. The tragedy surrounding Gino Mäder shows that."
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