During the presentation of Team Bahrain in Piazza Garibaldi in Sondrio, silence fell over the crowd. Yesterday marked the third anniversary of the death of Gino Mader, the Swiss cyclist who lost his life on the roads of his home race. Since that moment, Team Bahrain has always returned to Swiss territory to race in his memory, a vivid remembrance among the public, within the team, and especially among those riders who shared his final race with him. Antonio Tiberi was present on that tragic June 16, 2023, and now at the Tour de Suisse he returns to racing after a long period away.

«This is the first time I've followed this type of preparation. Usually I was accustomed to racing the Giro and doing altitude blocks much earlier. This year, however, I've changed many things. I trained in a warmer climate and now we need to see how my body will respond.» Antonio said, telling us about his altitude training period at Teide, with plenty of hard work, but also some small pleasures like the cable car ride up the famous volcano and a few meals by the sea. «We spent 18 days on Teide and did a good block of work. We suffered, but we also took moments to enjoy ourselves and recover. There were always so many tourists, so on our rest days we took some walks by the sea and a few small trips. We were never idle. I spent several months away from racing, and fortunately I was always well and never had any setbacks in my preparation. Now, however, we need to see if my legs actually respond the way I want them to.»

The last time we saw Antonio was at the start of a stage of the Giro, in Cervia. The athlete from Lazio came to the pink race to support his teammate Afonso Eulalio, who was wearing the pink jersey those days. Despite being far from Italy, Tiberi never missed a stage and always supported the young talent of Team Bahrain. «Afonso was fantastic and following the Giro with him was special. I think he accomplished a small feat. He's a very good guy, very likeable and always smiling. He makes everyone in the team laugh, and this time he really surprised us. He had never done the general classification in a Grand Tour before. He tried it for the first time and I must say it went more than well. We discovered a new rider who goes very fast.»

The big test of the season for Antonio Tiberi will be the Tour de France. Without beating around the bush, the Team Bahrain athlete said this back in winter, raising considerable enthusiasm among his fans. After several participations in the Giro and the Vuelta, for him it's the right moment to try it. There are no specific objectives at the moment—neither stage wins nor general classification—just the desire to understand how far he can go. «I believe this is the right time to tackle the Tour and I'm happy that the team thinks the same way. In a few days I'll turn 25. I've done several Grand Tours and I feel ready for my first Grand Boucle. I'm really curious about what it will be like. Everyone says it's the hardest race in the world, but I want to experience it firsthand. I don't have a specific objective yet. I don't know if I'll go for stage wins or a good general classification. I simply want to enjoy this first experience and take home many beautiful memories. There are many racing days ahead. I'll understand how I'm doing as we go and I'll always try to do my best.»

Meanwhile, the Tour de Suisse starts today and Antonio Tiberi will have 5 days to test himself against the same rivals he'll face at the Grand Boucle. 5 stages that are far from straightforward, in which he and Team Bahrain Victorious will race in the memory of Gino.