Tour de Suisse - 9-16 June Switzerland

A year on from Gino Mäder’s tragic death at the race, the Tour de Suisse returns to the calendar with poignant tributes to the Swiss rider.

- Tom Davidson, James Shrubsall

This year, and in future editions, the organisers will dedicate the race’s highest point to Mäder’s memory, with a special King of the Mountains prize. The event has also decided to retire Mäder’s race number, 44, which he wore during last year’s edition. At the rider’s family’s request, there will be no moment of silence.

“We’ve been in close contact over the past 11 months,” said race director Olivier Senn, “and it was clear that we wouldn’t do anything that the family didn’t want. So, we now want to bring the beautiful and positive sides of Gino Mäder to the fore.”

For those competing in the race, it will be a chance to celebrate the Swiss rider’s life, as well as prepare for the Tour de France with a challenging eight days in the mountains.

The winner of this year’s Tour de Suisse is “guaranteed to be a talented climber”, according to the race website, and it’s clear why; the World-Tour event counts five summit finishes, four days with over 3,000m elevation, and culminates in a gruelling uphill time trial, starting at the UCI’s headquarters in Aigle and rising to the ski resort of Villars-sur-Ollon. In fact, save for the prologue time trial, there is just one road stage labelled as “flat” – day three to Rüschlikon – and even that counts almost 2,000m in elevation.