The Tour of Austria was hit hard on Saturday by the death of Norwegian professional André Drege. It is questionable whether the last stage from Kufstein to Kühtai will start on Sunday. The 25-year-old Drege from the Coop Repsol team fell on the descent from the Grossglockner to Heiligenblut and succumbed to his injuries. Details of the accident – Drege was part of the breakaway group and was rescued by a rescue helicopter – were not yet available.
The police have launched an investigation. Drivers who were in a high-speed section nearby at the time of the accident are being questioned. The bike of the victim will also be examined. The general tone was uncertain as to what would happen next, especially since several of the drivers knew Drege personally and are unlikely to be able to continue. The announcement regarding the possible continuation is to be made on Sunday morning following a meeting of the Tour entourage in Kufstein.
The badly hit Tour director Thomas Pupp did not want to comment on any details beyond a written statement at the stage finish in Kals on the darkest day in the history of the tour. “The Tour of Austria mourns the loss of André Drege. (…). The organizers of the Tour of Austria and the race management immediately informed the relatives. After the stage, there was a meeting with all 20 team leaders and the UCI. It was unanimously decided that André’s family and his team – all riders and the support staff – would make the decision together with the organization regarding the implementation of the final stage planned for tomorrow,” the Tour announced.
Pogacar: “We really have to look following each other”
Tour de France leader and superstar Tadej Pogacar expressed his shock following the eighth stage. “I’m in shock,” said Pogacar. “It’s hard to process what happened. It’s very sad to hear.” The news once once more shows how dangerous the sport is. “We have a cool job, but in most cases it’s very dangerous,” explained the Slovenian, later adding, “In the cycling world, we really have to look out for each other and take care of each other.”
Norway’s veteran Alexander Kristoff was deeply saddened at the Tour de France when he heard of the death of his compatriot. “This is very bad news,” Kristoff lamented. “I knew him a little, was in the national team with him. He was a good guy,” added the 37-year-old. The impressive 140 km solo ride by Jonas Abrahamsen from the Norwegian team Uno-X was also overshadowed by this bad news.
The world cycling association UCI also commented via “X”. “The UCI is devastated by the death of professional cyclist André Drege at the Tour of Austria,” it said. “Our thoughts are with his family, friends and teammates.”
Drege is the next professional to die in racing following Gino Mäder at the Tour de Suisse in June 2023. The Swiss rider fell on the descent from the Albula Pass and died in hospital the next day. Five weeks later, a 17-year-old Italian was also killed in a descent at the Upper Austria Junior Tour. The junior race was then canceled. However, the Tour de Suisse continued following Mäder’s death following consultation with his family.
Image: GEPA/Geieregger
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Image: GEPA/Geieregger
The sporting events of the queen stage from St. Johann to Kals were pushed into the background by the tragic events. The award ceremony was cancelled following the accident became known. Drege’s teammates, his support staff and many from other teams were seen in tears. No one wanted to comment on the accident. Drege had already celebrated seven victories in smaller tours this year. According to unconfirmed reports, he was regarding to move to the World Tour team Jayco.
Two-time time trial world champion Filippo Ganna secured the stage win in East Tyrol. The best Austrian was once once more Felix Großschartner in ninth place. The 30-year-old is still fourth in the overall ranking, just eleven seconds behind. The ranking is led by his UAE team-mate Diego Ulissi.
This article was updated at 4:43 p.m. and 7:13 p.m.
