The new "Tour of Austria" cannot avoid Steyr

2023-06-17 02:53:01

The winner of this year’s Tour of Austria has to struggle up the Porscheberg in Steyr with the high alpine road to the Großglockner in his legs after a mammoth stretch and on the final day struggle up the Sonntagberg three times if he wants to get off his bike in the yellow jersey at the finish in front of the pilgrimage basilica. The circuit, the 72nd in Austria’s sports history, is taking place under the new name “Tour of Austria” after a three-year break. The five Austrian racing teams took matters into their own hands after the cycling association itself was no longer able to organize the race again.

Key figures in the revival of the traditional tour are father and son Alexander and Dominik Hrinkow from the Steyr racing team Hrinkow Advarics, each of whom is also a ten percent shareholder of “Tour of Austria GmbH”, which now organizes the tour professionally. “It was just extremely important for the sponsors of all cycling teams that our riders can compete in front of a home crowd again,” says Alexander Hrinkow. With a tour of five stages with a total length of 805.7 kilometers and 10,604 total meters in altitude, the gap in the local sports calendar will be closed. The tour will be decided – all experts agree on this – on the two final days in Steyr (July 5th) and Sonntagberg (July 6). The starting flag will be raised on July 2 in Dornbirn with the four World Tour teams “Alpecin-Deceunick” (Belgium), Jayco AIUla (Australia), UAE Team Emirates (Abu Dhabi) and INEOS Grenadiers (Great Britain) in front of the strongest international competition from the local heroes Felbermayr Simplon Wels, Team Vorarlberg, Tirol KTM Cycling Team, WSA KTM Graz and Hrinkow Advarics. “We are very well positioned and at the top of the national rankings,” says Alexander Hrinkow. “At least a stage win on our doorstep would be nice.”

The fact that his hometown and the neighboring Mostviertel have come into focus when planning the tour – the ORF will accompany the bike tour as before with a daily report in the evening broadcast time – is of course the crowning glory for Hrinkow. The decisive factor for the award was that the city of Steyr and the municipality of Sonntagberg as well as the states of Upper and Lower Austria contributed their mite as sponsors. “I don’t think we need to discuss the value for the region,” says Hrinkow. It is not certain whether the region will once again be at the heart of the “Tour of Austria” next year. The federal capital Vienna, for example, should definitely become a milestone. As tour organizers, the five racing teams have a three-year license from the cycling association.

5th stage, 5 July: St. Johann-Steyr, 197 kilometers, 2002 meters in altitude

The 5th stage starts on July 5th at 10.30 a.m. at the car park of the Alpendorf gondola lift in St. Johann in Salzburg. The destination is the Steyr town square. Sprint classifications are in Wagrain, Windischgarsten and Steyr, mountain classifications on the Pyhrnpass, in Saass in Aschach/Steyr and on the Steyr Porscheberg. “The Porscheberg is a real executioner with its ramp, which is up to 15 percent steep. In Steyr I’m expecting a gripping sprint with almost 50 drivers,” says Dominik Hrinkow, Team Manager of Hrinkow Advarics.

Bild: Tour of Austria

Stage 6 and Final, July 6: Ybbs–Sonntagberg, 155 kilometers, 2,687 meters in altitude

The final stage on July 6th, which starts in Ybbs next to the large Kaplan turbine at the Danube power plant, goes up the Sonntagberg three times, where the finish line is in front of the pilgrimage basilica. Sprint rankings are in Purgstall and Waidhofen, points for the fastest climbers are awarded in Maria Taferl, St. Leonhard/Wald and when driving through the Sonntagberg. All experts agree that the decision about the tour victory will only be made during this difficult final stage.