It was June 15. Gino Mäder was descending the Albula Pass during a stage of the Tour de Suisse. The 26-year-old from Bern fell, was taken to hospital and never got up again. He left behind his loved ones, but also a cycling family deeply shocked by his sudden disappearance. A year later, the pain is still there.
But both the organizers of the Tour de Suisse and those saddened by the disappearance of a man regularly described as a good person are trying to keep his memory alive.
So much so that a commemorative race will take place from Aigle to Villars-sur-Ollon on June 16. “Pay homage to Gino Mäder and take part in a unique race along the picturesque route of the 8th stage of the Tour de Suisse,” we can read on the event website. A special jersey, on which it is written “#rideforGino” is provided for the participants.
This is not the only way to honor the memory of the runner. The Tour de Suisse announced during its press conference on Wednesday that Gino Mäder will be honored in a stage of the competition. Not through a minute of silence – the organization explained that it did not choose this choice – but through an ascension.
“One of Gino’s main qualities was his talent in high mountains, which is why we decided with his family to name the highest point of the race after him,” he announced. Gino will thus remain forever linked to the Tour de Suisse.”
It is on the Nufenen Pass, which the riders will cross during the sixth stage, that the “#rideforgino mountain Grand Prix” will take place. This will not be the end of the race, however, since there will still be 55 kilometers to go to reach Blatten-Belalp, the finish point of this 151.4 kilometer long route with 3,575 meters of elevation gain.
