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Remco Evenepoel Vincent Kalut / PANORAMIC
World champion Remco Evenepoel paid tribute to Gino Mäder by winning the 7th stage of the Tour de Suisse in Weinfelden on Saturday, pointing his fingers to the sky at the finish, hand on heart, the day after the death of the Swiss rider.
At day after the death of Swiss runner Gino Mäderthe world champion Remco Evenepoel paid tribute to him after his victory of the 7th stage of the Tour of Switzerland in Weinfelden.
The sporting competition had resumed its rights, 24 hours after the announcement of the death of the young Swiss (26), who fell Thursday in the descent of the Albula p in the final of the 5th stage. Friday’s stage had been neutralized to allow the peloton to pay tribute to him.
The organizers, who had decided to continue the event “in agreement with the family of Gino Mäder», chose on Saturday to freeze the times 25 km from the finish to avoid taking risks in the final stage.
For their part, 36 riders among the 150 extras in the general clification had decided not to take the start, in particular those of the Bahrain-Victorious teams (the formation of Mäder), Tudor Pro Cycling and Intermarché-Circus-Wanty.
According to Evenepoel, fourth overall, the favorites had agreed not to pack the race before the panel announcing the finish at 25 kilometers.
“We decided between riders placed in the general clification not to attackbefore the final, said the Belgian before the start.
In these conditions, the first part of the race took place in procession and the fight for victory only began in the last part of the stage, Evenepoel attacking 17 kilometers from the line to win alone.
The Tour de Suisse ends on Sunday with an individual time trial of 25 kilometers between Saint-Gall and Gaiserwald. The Dane Mattias Skjelmose will defend his leading position there, especially against Evenepoel who will have to catch up with a 46-second delay.