"We do this out of respect for Gino's family" - Remco Evenepoel gives a riders point of view on the continuation of the Tour de Suisse

In what must have been an incredibly tough decision, the Tour de Suisse has decided, in consultation with the family of the late Gino Mäder, to continue the race.

"We do this out of respect for Gino's family and team, who wanted us to keep going," Remco Evenepoel told reporters prior to the start of the stage. "We're all doing this to honor Gino. To honor what kind of person he was. Out of respect for his family and his team, Bahrain Victorious, who also wanted us to keep going. That's why we're here."

In total 37 riders decided against continuing. Although he, personally carried on, Evenepoel empathises with those would could not continue. "If his family and his team had decided to have this race stopped, we would all have respected that," he says. "When you start thinking about it, you immediately feel completely sad. Everything in my head is unclear. All those thoughts: what could have prevented this crash?"

"It's going to take some time for this to sink in and digest it. I can't imagine how Gino's family feels right now," Evenepoel continues. "Me who disappeared from the Giro with Covid: that means nothing to what happened here. It's going to be a different kind of race, with a different kind of mindset. It will feel strange. I think everyone just wants this race to finish as safely as possible."