The queen stage of the Tour of Austria is overshadowed by a fatal accident involving André Drege.
The 25-year-old Norwegian crashed on the descent from the Grossglockner to Heiligenblut and succumbed to his injuries.
Details of the course of the accident - Drege had been part of the breakaway group - were not yet available. The stage was won by the Italian Filippo Ganna, the two-time time trial world champion, and the award ceremony did not take place due to the tragic event. On the eve of the final stage from Kufstein to Kühtai, it was still unclear whether the tour would continue. Italian Diego Ulissi leads the overall standings.
Drege is the first casualty in professional racing since the death of Gino Mäder at the Tour de Suisse in June 2023. Mäder crashed on the descent from the Albula and died in hospital the following day. Five weeks later, a 17-year-old Italian also died on a descent during a junior tour in Austria. The junior race was then abandoned. However, the Tour de Suisse continued after Mäder's death.
