There were hugs and there were high fives at the Bahrain Victorious team bus after Pello Bilbao out-sprinted Georg Zimmermann (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) to claim stage 10 of the Tour de France. But, there was also a palpable sense of emotional release as the team celebrated a keenly-sought victory to dedicate to their late teammate Gino Mäder.
The Spaniard is one of only two riders on Bahrain’s Tour team who competed at the Tour de Suisse, where Mäder died, aged 26, after crashing on a descent less than one month ago.
Bilbao had been looking for this win ever since the race started in the Basque Country and a puncture had foiled his dream of getting away on the final climb of stage 1 and fighting for a solo victory in Mäder’s name.
He channelled his grief in the tense final kilometre, smartly marking late attacks and then unleashing his emotion to finally live up to his team’s name in the Tour de France – a career first.
Bahrain Victorious has tried to set up Bilbao for a victory since the Tour began in his homeland last week, and the 33-year-old withstood unrelenting, undulating terrain and stinking heat to deliver on stage 10.
Bilbao pointed to his chest when speaking to the press after what was his maiden Tour stage win, highlighting the “#rideforGino” dedication to Mäder on his jersey.
He revealed that he found solace in spending time with family following the tragic loss as he simultaneously mourned and had to prepare for the Tour, with a “special motivation”.
“It’s been hard,” he said, maintaining his composure despite the grief that still reverberates through the peloton, after a hot day in the saddle, with the mercury hitting 38 degrees Celsius at the finish in Issoire.
“When we left the race in Switzerland the sports directors saw that everybody was so affected, and they also offered psychological help but in the end, for me, the best psychological help was to go home.
“I stayed with my family and especially with my daughter, Martina, she gave me all the tranquillity because kids don’t understand this difficult situation. So, it was easier to forget all the difficult emotions for this period.
“I started to feel better on the bike, to believe I had good legs and I needed to do my best for Gino, and also to try to enjoy this special moment for me because the Tour de France is something that doesn’t happen to everybody.
“In the end, it was possible to arrive to the Tour in good condition.”
Climbing up the GC standings
As a bonus, the time Bilbao…
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