"I’m incredibly lucky to be alive" - Magnus Sheffield reflects on Tour de Suisse crash ahead of his season debut

Magnus Sheffield starts his season at the Volta ao Algarve for INEOS Grenadiers. In a blog post on the team’s website, the American rider shared some of his thoughts ahead of his season debut, including his crash on stage 5 of last year’s Tour de Suisse.

"We’ve recently finished up our final training camp in Denia and I’m happy with the work I’ve done over the past couple of months. I feel that I’ve continued to make steps progressing on but also, importantly, off the bike" said Sheffield. "I really enjoy the pre-season training, especially getting back together with some guys you haven't seen sometimes for a whole year. I’ll start my 2024 season in Portugal at the Volta ao Algarve and I feel excited and motivated for the season ahead".

He had not previously spoken publicly about his crash at the Tour de Suisse 2023, where Sheffield had crashed on the descent of the Albula Pass and Gino Mäder’s tragic fatal accident had also occurred. He also remembers being very surprised when he woke up at the scene of the accident and saw rescue workers attending to another rider whom he had not been able to recognise. It was only later that he found out about Mäder’s crash.

"Unfortunately, I only rode with Gino a few times in our career. I’ve been told that he was an incredible person and my thoughts are with his family and friends. The accident reminded me how fragile life can be. I’m incredibly lucky to be alive, lucky to be able to walk and even luckier to be able to continue racing professionally".