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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Jeremy Whittle in Issoire

Pello Bilbao pays tribute to Gino Mäder after Tour de France stage 10 win

Pello Bilbao points to the sky as he stands atop the podium in Issoire
Pello Bilbao keeps Gino Mäder in his thoughts as he stands atop the podium in Issoire. Photograph: Michael Steele/Getty Images

As he celebrated his first stage win in the Tour de France, Pello Bilbao pointed initially to the sky and then to his heart, in tribute to his former Bahrain Victorious teammate Gino Mäder, who died while descending at speed in the Tour de Suisse less than a month ago.

Bilbao won stage 10 to Issoire after outsprinting Georg Zimmermann, racing for Intermarché-Circus-Wanty. The 33-year-old from Guernica was the fastest finisher from the remnants of a breakaway that eventually snuffed out the hopes of the lone attacker, Krists Neilands of Israel-Premier Tech, in the closing moments of the stage.

Bilbao admitted, however, that it had been difficult to suppress his feelings as he edged closer to victory. “The key today was to control my emotions,” he said. “The last three weeks have been really intense. Today was different. I started the stage with clear ideas and had the capacity to take control in the race.

“Everybody was on the limit. In the last three kilometres, I knew that I was the fastest in the group, so I just took responsibility. When I crossed the line, I put out all the energy that I had inside and remembered the reason for this victory,” Bilbao said.

His win was, he said, “a special one, for Gino.” After his victory, an air of poignancy hung over the Tour convoy. Mäder, just 26 when he died, had been a good friend to Bilbao, even naming his rescue dog “Pello” after his Basque teammate.

When the 2023 Tour had started in Bilbao, a huge image of a smiling Mäder, a dedicated environmentalist, had been the backdrop to the presentation of his former team’s riders.

Bilbao crosses the line to win stage 10
Bilbao crosses the line to win stage 10. Photograph: David Ramos/Getty Images

The death of Mäder and the sense of loss within the peloton continues to be felt deeply, including by the race leader, Jonas Vingegaard. “It’s awful what happened in Switzerland,” the Jumbo-Visma rider said. “It’s so bad that I can’t even imagine how it must feel.

“It is so sad. I am feeling with them [his teammates] and with Gino’s family as well. I’m happy that they’re doing well and that they’re doing it for Gino.”

Bilbao acknowledged the difficulties he had faced following his teammate’s death, including a new and unexpected fear of descending. “It’s been hard,” he said. “When we left the race in Switzerland, everybody was affected.

“The best help was to go home and stay with my family and with my daughter, because kids don’t fully understand these difficult situations. With her, it was easier to forget.”

In what was the first Tour win by a Spanish rider for five years, Bilbao also leapfrogged into the higher reaches of the General Classification. Twice fifth overall in the Giro d’Italia, he is now fifth overall in the Tour, just 12 seconds behind fourth-placed Carlos Rodríguez of Ineos Grenadiers. “The priority was to fight for the stage win,” Bilbao said, “but I have made a great jump. Today I spent a lot [of energy] but I hope I can recover and try to be as competitive as possible.”

As furnace conditions enveloped the Massif Central, the local fire services sprayed spectators with cold water, and the day’s five categorised climbs proved as debilitating as the steepest slopes in the Alps or Pyrenees. Among those suffering from a rude awakening, post-rest day, were David Gaudu, of the Groupama-FDJ team, and his compatriot Romain Bardet, riding for DSM-Firmenich.

Ahead of the main peloton, a 14-rider group that included Bilbao, Zimmermann and Neilands moved ahead as temperatures climbed to scorching heights. The gruelling stage, raced through the chain of hills to the south of Clermont-Ferrand, was initially animated by a frenzy of attacking. At one point a select group, including the defending champion, Vingegaard, and his closest rival, Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates, slipped away from the rest of the peloton.

That ambush led to a furious chase by Tom Pidcock’s Ineos Grenadiers team. The main favourites regrouped soon after, although the damage had already been done to many of those struggling to find their legs at the rear of the race.

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