Swiss cyclist Gino Mäder has died in hospital after a fatal crash.

The 26-year-old had fallen and plunged into a ravine on stage five of the Tour de Suisse on Thursday and had been taken to hospital.

But he has since succumbed to his injuries and passed away on Friday, his team announced.

"Despite the efforts of the phenomenal staff at Chur Hospital, Gino couldn't overcome his final and greatest challenge," said Team Bahrain-Victorious. "At 11:30, we bid farewell to one of the glowing leaders of our team."

Team manager Milan Erzen added: "We are distraught at the loss of our extraordinary rider. "His talent, his commitment and his enthusiasm were an inspiration to us all. He wasn't just an extremely talented cyclist; he was also a fantastic person off the bike."

In 2021, Mäder won stages on the Giro d'Italia and Tour de Suisse and came fifth in the Vuelta Espana, with the International Cycling Union (UCI) calling him "a rising star within the professional ranks of cycling."

Criticism of 'dangerous' descent finish

Mäder wasn't the only rider to fall at that particular stage of the final descent, with American cyclist Magnus Sheffield of Team Ineos Grenadiers also falling. But the 21-year-old suffered only minor injuries.

World champion Remco Evenepoel criticized the design of the stage and questioned why it had to end with such a descent. "A finishing line at the top of the hill wouldn't have been a problem," said the Belgian.

"It wasn't a good decision to end this stage with this dangerous descent."