By Jens Marx, dpa
Amidst the mourning for professional cyclist Gino Mäder and the investigations into the cause of the accident, the Tour de Suisse continues. The penultimate stage of the Tour of Switzerland started at midday on Saturday. Three teams were no longer in the race. There are still many unanswered questions about the tragic death of the Swiss rider Mäder at the age of 26.
Why is the tour continuing?
On Friday, the day of Mäder's death, the sixth stage had been cancelled and instead the professional cyclists had commemorated their colleague with a memorial ride. Afterwards, the organisers said they had reached an agreement with the teams, riders and support staff to continue the tour. "Following consultations with all those involved, we as the management are united behind this decision," explained Tour Director Olivier Senn. They want to try to organise the last two stages of the men's race "in an appropriate setting".
Timekeeping for the overall classification will take place 18.8 kilometres before the finish on Saturday. The time trial on Sunday will also be held in race mode, according to a statement. Mäder's family is said to have been in favour of continuing the tour. The start of the third Tour de Suisse for women on Saturday has also been cancelled.
However, three men's teams will no longer be taking part: In addition to Mäder's Bahrain Victorious racing team, Intermarché-Circus-Wanty from Belgium and the team of Swiss cycling legend Fabian Cancellara withdrew on Saturday. "Under these difficult circumstances, this is the humane way for us to respect the feelings of our riders and pay tribute to Gino," explained the Tudor Pro Cycling team.
Has the course of the accident been clarified?
No. It is still unclear what happened on Thursday on the descent a few kilometres before the finish. What is known is that 21-year-old Magnus Sheffield also crashed alongside Mäder. His Ineos team confirmed on the day of the accident that the US pro had been involved in an accident, had suffered a concussion and minor bruising and would have to stay in hospital overnight.
Tour de Suisse doctor Roland Kretsch, who was the first to arrive at the scene of the accident, told the Swiss newspaper "Blick" that two riders had fallen and crashed down the embankment. "Probably excessive speed or braking too late or getting caught up, it's not entirely clear."
Sheffield may be able to help clarify the situation. The cantonal police of Graubünden have launched an appeal for witnesses. "We are particularly looking for people who were able to observe or even film the accident," the statement said.
What are the reactions to the death in Mäder's home country?
In addition to Mäder's sporting abilities, practically all Swiss media also recognised his commitment outside of cycling. "Gino Mäder wanted to make the world a better place," wrote the NZZ. Mäder was inspired by the desire to be there for others. "He proved that athletes don't have to be egotists."
Mäder donated to Swiss glaciers and "always tried to be at peace with himself", wrote the Tagesanzeiger newspaper. Mäder once donated over 3,000 euros to charity during a Tour of Spain - one euro for every rider he left behind on the stages. His dog Pello was once a stray in Bilbao, but instead of ending up in a Spanish killing centre, he ended up with Mäder.
To what extent has Mäder's accidental death intensified the safety debate in cycling?
Due to the still unexplained course of the accident, an overall assessment is difficult. Unfortunately, serious crashes and fatal accidents are nothing new in cycling, and helmets are practically the only form of protection. The death of Fabio Casartelli in 1995 following an accident on a stage of the Tour de France fuelled the debate about making helmets compulsory, but it was only introduced eight years later. Shortly before this, the Kazakh Andriej Kiwilew had died after a crash.
Despite the obligation to wear a helmet, there were still fatal accidents afterwards. In 2016, Belgian professional Antoine Demoitié died as a result of a collision with an accompanying motorbike, and in 2019, Belgian professional cyclist Bjorg Lambrecht did not survive a crash during the Tour of Poland.
The road was dry when Mäder crashed and the rapid descent came at the end of a stage covering 215.3 kilometres with 3295 metres of climbing. It was not a clever idea to place the finish of such a stage after a descent, said 23-year-old world champion Remco Evenepoel from Belgium. "Perhaps in future we need to ensure that descents are not made so close to the finish," agreed former professional cyclist Fabian Wegmann in an interview with the German Press Agency.
Maximum speeds of more than 100 kilometres per hour would be reached on the descent. "That's dangerous. As a racing driver, you don't always think about it, but it's always there." According to everything he has learnt so far, however, it was a riding error. And Wegmann, who supports the planning for the Deutschland Tour route as head of sport, also emphasised: "As an organiser, you can't completely secure such a long route and secure every pass with safety fences so that a rider can't leave the road. That is not feasible in terms of time and money."
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