PARIS – The start of the 7th and penultimate stage of the Tour de Suisse, which was to be disputed “normally and in the form of a race”, according to the organizers, was given on Saturday noon in Tübach (north) without three teams and in a heavy atmosphere, the day after the death of runner Gino Mäder.
The sporting competition therefore resumed its rights, 24 hours after the announcement of the death of the young Swiss (26), who fell Thursday during a descent at the end of the fifth stage, while Friday’s stage had been neutralized to allow the peloton to pay homage to him.
A minute of silence was again observed by the participants and a few hundred spectators on Saturday morning in Tübach, a small town in the canton of Saint-Gall hosting a stage of the Tour de Suisse for the first time.
Despite the withdrawal of three teams (Bahrain-Victorious, the runner’s team, as well as Tudor and Intermarché-Circus), the organizers insisted on continuing the race “in agreement with the runner’s family”.
“After consultation with our riders and staff, we have decided to withdraw from the Tour de Suisse. Our priority is to respect the mental health of our runners”, communicated the Belgian Intermarché team on Twitter.
Several riders from other teams have made the individual decision not to start, like the Swiss Stefan Kung (FDJ-Groupama) Marc Hirschi (UAE Emirates), Mauro Schmid (Soudal-Quick Step) and Michael Schär (AG2R- Citroen).
“We respect the decision of each team, and the withdrawals are in line with what we had planned”, replied the direction of the event to theAFP.
“There will indeed be a race on the route initially planned but the time for the general classification will be taken (on a line drawn) 25 kilometers from the finish” (i.e. before the last ascent of the day), they specified some hours before departure.
Beyond the emotion it aroused, the fatal accident to Gino Mäder fueled Saturday, within the peloton and in the media, the reflection on “the cycling spectacle” and the safety of the actors.
Embracing the critical remarks made on Thursday by the world champion, Remco Evenepoel, who had described the organization as “irresponsible” for having set up “an arrival at the end of such a dangerous descent”, several editorialists invited “to reflect on the spectacle of cycling”.
“The death of Gino Mäder should make you think beyond any question of guilt or innocence. And that should trigger something positive,” wrote the daily. Neue Zürcher Zeitung.
