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CYCLING

Crash pushes Cancellara out of Tour de France

Swiss cycling star Fabian Cancellara is abandoning this year’s Tour de France after being injured in a spectacular crash involving more than 30 riders during the third stage of the race — when he was wearing the yellow jersey as overall leader.

Published: 6 July 2015 22:22 CEST
Crash pushes Cancellara out of Tour de France
Fabian Cancellera (in yellow) riding in third stage. Photo: Jeff Pachoud/AFP

More than 30 riders were injured in the pileup, which occurred 52 kilometres from the finish line on the stage in Belgium.

It occurred when FDJ rider William Bonnet went down and others just careered into the back of him while travelling at an average speed of 42.03 kilometres an hour, according to Tour de France organizers.

Cancellera, 35, was among several riders injured in the accident, which forced organizers to temporarily stop the race as doctors attended to the wounded.

The Bern native, who has won eight stages of the Tour de France in his career, got back on his bike but finished well back of the leaders and afterwards sought treatment for bone fractures.

“Just left the hospital with a huge disappointment,” Cancellera tweeted.

This year’s Tour de France “is over broke some bones on my back again as in spring”, he said referring to back injuries he suffered at the E3 Harelbeke race in Belgium in March.

For Cancellera, who was won the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix races three times, the fall was a tough blow, as it was for the other competitors thrown off course by the spectacular collision.

UK rider Chris Froome, winner of the 2013 Tour de France, took over the yellow jersey.

Check out the accident in the video below from Le Tour de France: 


La minute maillot jaune LCL – Étape 3 (Anvers… par tourdefrance

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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.

Published: 16 June 2023 12:54 CEST
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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