Tour de France: Pidcock expects more cautious descents after Swiss rider Mader's recent death in Swutzerland

Britain's Tom Pidcock said Gino Mader's death during a high-speed descent in Switzerland less than two weeks ago could result in riders being more cautious at the Tour de France, which starts on Saturday, July 1.

Swiss rider Mader died aged 26 due to injuries suffered when he crashed into a ravine during the Tour de Suisse. Pidcock's Ineos Grenadiers team mate Magnus Sheffield crashed separately at the same corner, suffering concussion and spending three days in hospital.

Descending is one of Pidcock's strengths but the 23-year-old, who won an iconic Tour de France stage at L'Alpe d'Huez last year, said Mader's death may have an impact on his style.

"I think especially for everyone who was at the race, that was pretty hard hitting," Pidcock, who also competing in the eight-stage race, told reporters on Wednesday.

"I think I didn't see a single rider take any risks on the last two stages after that incident. Personally, one of the things that hit me was it happened descending, which is something that I love.

"It showed me what the consequences can be when it goes wrong. I don't take unnecessary risks but things can happen when we're riding down a descent at 100kph in lycra."

Mader's death raised questions about rider safety and triggered calls for safety nets in the most dangerous downhill sections but Pidcock said risk will always be part of the sport.

"I guess unless we all want to race round the motor racing circuits, then we have to accept that we will be racing down descents," he told the Telegraph.

"I think risks are involved in cycling and sometimes - it doesn't happen often - it can go wrong. I guess we do what we can to mitigate those risks but they'll never be gone."

Pidcock, who is also an Olympic gold medallist in cross country mountain biking, will lead Ineos at the Tour, which begins in Bilbao, Spain on Saturday.

Bernal grateful to be alive and ready for comeback at Tour de France

Grateful to be alive

Meanwhile, Egan Bernal is grateful to be able to return to the Tour de France after he suffered a near-fatal crash in a high-speed collision in January last year, the Colombian said on Wednesday.

Bernal, who won the 2019 Tour and 2021 Giro d'Italia, required multiple surgeries after crashing into a stationary bus while training in his home country. He said the accident left him with a 95% chance of becoming a paraplegic, but he was back on his bike two months later.

"I think I should be grateful to be alive, to be here and to be in the Tour squad," Bernal told reporters on Wednesday.

"I would love to get back to my level, to race again and see what it will be like to be against these big names. I try to compare myself to them and that's why I keep cycling. I wake up every day working and thinking about it, about starting to get back to my best.

"Whether I achieve that goal or not is different, but that's what I'm working for," he added.

The 26-year-old had a two-year break from the Tour after he abandoned the race in 2020, skipped it in 2021 and missed the 2022 edition.

But he said he was excited to be back and being selected for the Tour by his Ineos Grenadiers team has filled him with motivation.

The Ineos squad will be led by Briton Tom Pidcock, while Colombian Dani Martinez is also in contention for the general classification.

"We have a very complete team with young riders behind us who know how talented they are, like Tom (Pidcock) who is coming on very strong and I'm sure the first stages will go very well for him, we have riders who can have a very good race," he added.

"I think I'm in good condition, obviously, you have to be to race here. I feel good. I think the last two weeks between the Dauphine and the Tour have helped me to train and improve a bit more. I think I'll be in better condition, that's positive."

Bernal finished 12th overall at the Criterium du Dauphine earlier this month, the most important stage race in the build-up to the Tour, which starts on Saturday in Bilbao, Spain.

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