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CYCLING

UK’s Froome wins Tour de Romandie prologue

Britain's Chris Froome, the pre-race favourite, on Tuesday won the Tour de Romandie prologue, a 7.4.kilometre bike race in French-speaking Switzerland between Chable and Bruson, in a time of 13 minutes 15 seconds.

UK's Froome wins Tour de Romandie prologue
After winning the Tour de Romandie prologue, Chris Froome is kissed by hostesses. Photo: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP

The Sky team leader overtook Spain's Dani Moreno — the winner of last week's Fleche Wallonne — in a strong finish and crossed the line six seconds ahead of American rider Andrew Talansky.
   
Croatia's Robert Kiserlovski, was third, 13 seconds adrift of first place, 
while Australia's Richie Porte, a Sky team-mate of Froome, was fourth at 15 seconds.
   
"It was just seven kilometres but uphill, which is unusual for a prologue," 
Froome told Swiss television.
   
"I hadn't raced for a month, since the Criterium International (which 
Froome won) and I wasn't sure what kind of form I would be in.
   
"To win the prologue is a good sign and I hope to defend the leader's 
jersey for as long as possible this week but I know it will be difficult."
   
Wednesday's first stage is a 176.4-kilometre ride from St-Maurice in the canton of Valais to Renens, just 
outside Lausanne in the canton of Vaud, with the five-stage Swiss race concluding on Sunday.
   
Froome will be hoping to not only win here but go on like the winners of 
the past two editions, Australian Cadel Evans and Froome's Sky team-mate Bradley Wiggins, and win the Tour de France in the same year.

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CYCLING

Swiss rider dies after fall into ravine on Tour of Switzerland

Swiss rider Gino Maeder has died from the injuries he sustained when he plunged into a ravine during a stage of the Tour of Switzerland, his team Bahrain-Victorious said on Friday.

Swiss rider dies after fall into ravine on Tour of Switzerland

Maeder, 26, fell during a high-speed descent on the fifth stage between Fiesch and La Punt on Thursday, after an exhausting day marked by three ascents over 2,000 metres altitude.

He had been found “lifeless in the water” of a ravine below the road, “immediately resuscitated then transported to the hospital in Chur by air”, organisers said.

But the next day, “Gino lost his battle to recover from the serious injuries he sustained,” Bahrain-Victorious said in a statement.

“It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts that we must announce the passing of Gino Mäder,” his team wrote in a statement.

“On Friday June 16th, following a very serious fall during the fifth stage of the Tour de Suisse, Gino lost his fight to recover from the serious injuries he had suffered. Our entire team is devastated by this tragic accident, and our thoughts and prayers are with Gino’s family and loved ones at this incredibly difficult time.”

“Despite the best efforts of the phenomenal staff at Chur hospital, Gino couldn’t make it through this, his final and biggest challenge, and at 11:30am we said goodbye to one of the shining lights of our team,” the team said in a statement.

Maeder had enjoyed a strong start to the season, finishing fifth in the Paris-Nice race.

American rider Magnus Sheffield also fell on the same descent from Albula, during the most difficult stage of the race with multiple climbs. The Ineos-Grenadiers rider was hospitalised with “bruises and concussion,” organisers said.

On Thursday, world champion Remco Evenepoel criticised the decision to compete on such a dangerous road.

“While a summit finish would have been perfectly possible, it wasn’t a good decision to let us finish down this dangerous descent,” the Belgian wrote on Twitter.

“As riders, we should also think about the risks we take going down a mountain.”

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