Special, new trophy at Velo d'Or ceremony: Gino Mäder Award for socially engaged riders

A special announcement from L'Équipe at X. The newspaper, which organizes the Vélo d'Or election for the best cyclist of the season, has created a new, alternative award for the most socially engaged cyclist of the year. That rider will be awarded the Gino Mäder Award.

The Bahrain Victorious rider, who lost his life after a severe crash during the 2023 Tour of Switzerland, was not only known for his outstanding cycling skills. The Swiss rider, who won the white jersey in the 2021 Vuelta a España, was one of the few riders who also turned his social awareness into action. That legacy has prompted the French newspaper to give extra exposure to the social side of cycling with the award, thus also honoring Mäder.

Read more below the photo.

Gino Mäder, here alongside Wout Poels, committed to a green planet.

Cycling as bad environmental factor: Mäder knew and raised money for climate

Cycling inspires many people to live athletically and healthily. Still, with all the travel, the enormous amount of team cars and motorcycles, and the energy-intensive riders' villages in major tours, professional-level cycling is anything but sustainable. Mäder knew this all too well. He was known as a rider who took an active interest in the planet.

That's how he raised money in 2022. "As a child, I was lucky enough to see glaciers, the face of the Alps also known as the eternal ice," he wrote at the time. "However, nothing is eternal about it as we lose 300 billion tons of ice yearly. I hope that future generations will also experience glaciers, so this year, I am donating 1 Swiss franc to every rider who finishes behind me in any race. By doing so, I hope to do my part in the fight against climate change."

The Vélo d'Or ceremony will take place on December 6, 2024.

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