Gino Mäder

Gino Mäder was born on 4 January 1997,[5] in Flawil in the Canton of St. Gallen,[6][7] and raised in Wiedlichbach.[8] He was baptized Gino in honour of Italian cyclist Gino Bartali;[9] both his parents were cyclists as well.[9] He began playing football at the age of five.[9] Later he started as an apprentice at Swiss Olympic.[10] Before turning professional on the road, Mäder was a high level track cyclist, having competed at the 2016 UEC European Track Championships in the team pursuit event.[11] In 2018 he won two stages at the Tour de l'Avenir and one in the Tour Alsace and another in the Ronde de l'Isard in France.[9] He came in fourth in the U-23 race of the 2018 UCI World Championships in Innsbruck, Austria, with his Swiss teammate Marc Hirschi winning the race.[9] According to him, Hirschi's success was the result of a team effort.[9] Several members of the U-23 team did their mandatory military service together. Mäder cycled with some of them since their U-15 days, and with Patrick Müller (who placed 9th) since about the age of 10.[9]

Mäder turned fully professional in 2019, with UCI WorldTeam Team Dimension Data.[12] In October 2020, he was named in the startlist for the 2020 Vuelta a España.[13] He achieved a second place in the penultime stage of the Vuelta behind David Gaudu and in the final standing he placed 20th.[9] In early 2021, he joined Bahrain Victorious.[9]

On stage 7 of the 2021 Paris–Nice, Mäder was part of the breakaway, and nearly won the stage.[14] However, in the final 50 metres, he was caught and outsprinted by Primož Roglič.[14] Mäder was given the combativity award for the day.[14] For the Giro d'Italia in 2021, he was made an assistent to Mikel Landa who eventually quit early due to injury during stage 5.[9] The next day, Mäder won the stage and dedicated his victory to the injured Mikel Landa.[9] Mäder eventually had to abandon the Giro due to an injury on the left arm.[9]

Later in the year, Mäder rode the 2021 Vuelta a España. After losing three minutes over the first eight stages, he began to perform strongly starting on stage nine, when he finished seventh on the mountain stage to Alto de Velefique.[15] Over the rest of the race, he continued his strong performance while serving as a domestique for Jack Haig. On stage 17, which finished atop the Lagos de Covadonga, Mäder finished with the elite group that finished a minute and a half down on the race leader, Primož Roglič. The result lifted him inside the top ten on GC.[16] The next day, on the race's queen stage to Altu d'El Gamoniteiru, Haig and Mäder finished fifth and seventh, respectively, at almost a minute down, with Mäder moving up to eighth on GC.[17] On the race's penultimate stage, Mäder and Haig, together with Roglič, Enric Mas, and Adam Yates, comprised a five-man group that escaped from the GC group on the third to last climb. The group continued to build their advantage over the other contenders, with the move allowing Mäder to rise inside the top five overall and Haig to move into the third spot on GC. Mäder also took the lead in the young rider classification as he overtook Egan Bernal.[18] He held his position in the final day time trial to finish the Vuelta in fifth and confirming his victory in the young rider classification.[19]

Stage 4 of the 2023 Tour of Slovenia started with a minute of silence for Gino Mäder the day after his death; Team Bahrain Victorious pay their respects from the front of the starting line.

During stage 5 of the Tour de Suisse on 15 June 2023, Mäder fell on a turn when descending from the stage's highest point at Albula Pass towards La Punt.[8] The American cyclist Magnus Sheffield had fallen at almost the exact same spot a few minutes earlier.[22] Mäder was found to be unconscious and submerged in water.[23] After being resuscitated he was airlifted by a Rega helicopter to a hospital[23] in Chur. Mäder died from his injuries a day later, at the age of 26.[4] Stage 6 of the Tour de Suisse was cancelled, but a 20 km tribute ride to the planned stage finish took place[24] between Türlersee and Oberwil-Lieli.[25]

Bahrain Victorious, along with the Intermarché–Circus–Wanty and Tudor Pro Cycling teams, withdrew from the Tour on the next stage of competitive racing (stage 7 to Weinfelden), as did about 30 other riders.[26] [27] Remco Evenepoel, the winner of stage 7, dedicated his victory to Mäder.[27]

Mäder achieved the following major results:[28]

General classification results timeline

Grand Tour general classification results
Grand Tour	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Giro d'Italia	—	—	DNF	—	—
Tour de France	—	—	—	—	—
Vuelta a España	—	20	5	20	—
Major stage race general classification results
Race	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Paris–Nice	—	—	10	DNF	5
Tirreno–Adriatico	—	—	—	—	—
Volta a Catalunya	DNF	NH	—	—	46
Tour of the Basque Country	—		21	40	—
Tour de Romandie	DNF		—	2	15
Critérium du Dauphiné	—	—	—	—	—
Tour de Suisse	31	NH	27	DNF	DNF

Legend

—	Did not compete
DNF	Did not finish

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gino Mäder.

• Gino Mäder at UCI
• Gino Mäder at Cycling Archives
• Gino Mäder at ProCyclingStats
• Gino Mäder at Cycling Quotient
• Gino Mäder at CycleBase
• Gino Mäder at Olympedia