"Remember Gino Mader passed away 2 years ago" - Alberto Bettiol blasts Tom Pidcock & Red Bull for viral downhill video
Cycling
Tom Pidcock went viral earlier this week after he and sponsor Red Bull took part in a downhill speed test, in which the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team star was tied with a bungee rope the back of a motor bike on a descent, hitting speeds as fast as 115km/h. Now though, one of Pidcock's fellow pro riders has called the video into question.
Commenting underneath the video posted to Instagram by Red Bull, XDS Astana Team's Italian national champion Alberto Bettiol blasts Pidcock and the entire team involved with the video. "Nice way to sponsor 'safety' on the bike," Bettiol writes with a clearly sarcastic tone.
One fan attempts to appease Bettiol's frustrations, replying to the Italian: "I'm sure you've taken bigger risks on descents live on TV..." but the Italian also had a sharp response to this too. "Yes and I thanks life to be still alive. But for sure I won’t sponsor it."
As the debate continued between Bettiol and the fan underneath Pidcock and Red Bull's video, the Astana star attempted to cast people's minds back to the 2023 Tour de Suisse in order to show just how dangerous the sport of cycling can be. "Cycling is already an extremely dangerous sport even without doing those kind of things," he explains. "Especially in those days when we, as professional cyclists, remember Gino Mader passed away 2 years ago."
The Swiss star tragically crashed on a pacey descent at the Tour de Suisse in 2023, and has been remembered by his Bahrain - Victorious teammates ever since thanks to the #RideforGino movement. Earlier this week, on the anniversary of his fatal crash, a monument to Mader was also revealed at the Tour de Suisse, making the timing of Red Bull and Pidcock's video launch all the more open to debate.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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