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CYCLING

Italian breaks world record for cycling globe

Paola Gianotti on Sunday became the world's fastest female cyclist to tour the globe, a feat achieved as a response to the financial crisis.

Italian breaks world record for cycling globe
The previous world record was set by a British-German cyclist in 2012. Cyclist photo: Shutterstock

Gianotti rode into Ivrea, north-west Italy, on Sunday after a 29,430km tour taking 144 days.

“The most beautiful finish line of my life!” she wrote on Facebook after arriving to crowds of supporters.

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Gianotti broke the world record set by Juliana Buhring, a British-German cyclist, who toured the globe in 152 days two years ago.

The 32-year-old Italian completed the tour despite having an accident in the US, prompting her to put the tour temporarily on hold, Gazzetta dello Sport said.

A sports enthusiast, Gianotti had been living in the village of Montalto before taking up the cycling challenge.

“Because of the economic crisis, my business closed and I said, ‘It’s now or never’. I rolled up my sleeves and began to plan the adventure,” she was quoted in Gazzetta dello Sport as saying.

She won €45,000 sponsorship from ten companies, after contacting 2,500 businesses. The high costs included a €20,000 campervan for Gianotti and her team to sleep in, plus €10,000 in flights for the group of three, the newspaper said.  

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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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