Biography of Gino Mäder

Gino Mäder (born 4 January 1997 in Flawil; died 16 June 2023 in Chur) was a Swiss cyclist. He raced on track and road, last rode for Bahrain Victorious, and became known through his stage win at the 2021 Giro d'Italia and his strong result at the 2021 Vuelta a España.

Path into cycling

Mäder came from the canton of St. Gallen and developed through Swiss junior races, track racing and road racing. As an under-23 rider he belonged to a generation of young Swiss professionals that became visible internationally. In 2018 he narrowly missed a medal in the under-23 road race at the World Championships in Innsbruck, while his compatriot Marc Hirschi won. His path then led into professional cycling.

Professional years

In 2019 Mäder rode for Dimension Data, later for NTT Pro Cycling and from 2021 for Bahrain Victorious. He was a rider for mountains, breakaways and long stages in which patience and timing matter. Within his team he also worked for other leaders, but repeatedly earned chances of his own. His racing often seemed calmly built: much work first, then a clear moment to attack.

Giro and Vuelta 2021

On 13 May 2021 Mäder won stage six of the Giro d'Italia to San Giacomo. The victory came from a breakaway and gave him his first Grand Tour stage win. A few months later he impressed at the Vuelta a España. There he won the young rider classification and finished fifth overall. At the same time he raised money for environmental projects through a personal donation pledge.

Tour de Suisse

On 15 June 2023 Mäder crashed on stage five of the Tour de Suisse during the descent from the Albula Pass. He was taken to hospital in Chur and died there the following day. The Tour neutralised the next stage; riders, teams and organisers remembered him together. Bahrain Victorious then withdrew from the race.

Farewell

Gino Mäder died on 16 June 2023 at the age of 26. His memory connects sporting results with his quiet concern for others: teamwork, environmental donations and a way of racing that did not force attention.