Kübler reminiscing about his exploits in 1999
Keystone
Ferdinand "Ferdy" Kübler, the first Swiss to win the Tour de France, has died at the age of 97. He was the oldest living winner of the most famous cycling road race.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch
The cycling legend, who was named the “Swiss sportsperson of the century” in 1983, died in a Zurich hospital on Thursday. He was admitted on account of a severe cold.
Kübler entered professional cycling in 1940 but took a while to reach elite status. He won the Tour de France in 1950 at the age of 31 and the World Road Race a year later. A native of Marthalen in canton Zurich, he won the Tour de Suisse three times, in 1942, 1948 and 1951.
More
More
The life of Ferdy Kübler
This content was published on
These historic images show some of Kübler’s greatest sporting moments.
He said his greatest regret was not winning the Tour de France in 1949. He got a puncture while in the lead and had to wait 20 minutes until a rescue vehicle turned up because his own vehicle had met with an accident.
He had rivalry going on with fellow Swiss Hugo Koblet, who became the first non-Italian to win the Giro d’Italia in 1950 and went on to win the Tour de France the year after Kübler. They remain the only Swiss to have won the Tour de France.
Kübler retired from cycling in 1957. The mantle of the oldest living Tour de France winner now passes to Frenchman Roger Walkowiak, who won the race in 1956. He is 89 years old.
Young undocumented migrants gain easier access to vocational training
This content was published on
Rejected asylum-seekers and young undocumented migrants in Switzerland will have easier access to basic vocational training from June 1.
Migration: Swiss government wants to shorten reunification period for families
This content was published on
Family members of people temporarily admitted to Switzerland should in future be able to join them after two years instead of three.
This content was published on
2023 was a record year for the Rhaetian Railway in several respects. Never before has the narrow-gauge railway in Graubünden, eastern Switzerland, transported so many passengers and cars.
Swiss CFOs much more optimistic despite global uncertainty
This content was published on
The main concerns of business leaders in Switzerland are geopolitical uncertainty and the important trading partners Germany and China.
Record organ donation in Switzerland despite high rejection rates
This content was published on
More organ donations were recorded in Switzerland in 2023 than ever before. This was despite a high rejection rate of 58% by surviving relatives.
This content was published on
Seven years after the death of record-breaking Swiss mountain climber Ueli Steck, his estate is going to the Alpine Museum of Switzerland in Bern.
This content was published on
His world tour was an epic 122,000 kilometres long and took him through 60 countries in four continents. Starting in his hometown of Geneva in 1994, Claude first travelled through the southern republics of the former Soviet Union, across the Indian subcontinent and into China, South Korea and Japan. He then cycled across North and…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.