Geneva: Ferdinand Kubler, one of the world's greatest cyclists and the first Swiss winner of the Tour de France, has died aged 97, his wife told the Swiss media on Friday.

Kubler, who won the Tour de France in 1950 at the age of 31 and came second in 1954, died in the presence of his wife Christina, after being admitted to a hospital in Zurich due to a heavy cold, reports Efe.