Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

CYCLING

Swiss capital welcomes Tour de France cyclists

World champion Peter Sagan was victorious in Bern as he won the 16th stage of the Tour de France on Monday.

Published: 18 July 2016 20:21 CEST
Swiss capital welcomes Tour de France cyclists
Photo: Jeff Pachoud/AFP

Sagan pipped Alexander Kristoff in a photo finish to win the stage from Moirans-en-Montagne to Bern.
   
Race leader Chris Froome came home in a much-reduced peloton at the end of the 209km stage to maintain his advantage in the yellow jersey competition.
   
Slovak Sagan claimed his third victory at the Tour this year and seventh in total in the third photo finish of the 2016 race.
   
This victory ensured this will go down as Sagan's best Tour yet, having also held the yellow jersey for three days during the first week.
   
He won the second and 11th stages before this, but his third stage victory outstrips the two gained in each of 2012 and 2013.
   
And as he's well on his way to winning a fifth straight green jersey, the 26-year-old is enjoying his best Tour yet and the best season of his career.
   
He was world champion back in September and then won his first prestigious “Monument” one-day classic at April's Tour of Flanders.

Fans turned out under sunny skies to see the peloton pass through Switzerland on its way to Bern.

Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara finished Monday's stage just a few miles from his home.

It was an emotional return to Switzerland for the 35-year-old, who is riding his last Tour and will retire from cycling at the end of this season.

The cyclists will now enjoy a rest day in the Swiss capital before setting off on stage 17 on Wednesday, which will finish at the stunning Emosson dam.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

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.”

SHOW COMMENTS