Gregor Mühlberger has achieved something truly special as only the second Austrian in history: He has won the overall classification of the Lidl Tour of Austria, formerly known as the Tour of Austria, while wearing the Lidl leader’s jersey from the opening stage all the way to the finish. Patrick Konrad of Lidl–Trek rounded off the race on a positive note in front of tens of thousands of spectators in Lower Austria and Vienna by claiming third place behind stage winner Sam Watson.
The Lower Austrian town of Langenlois hosted its first-ever tour stage today. The historic town centre at Holzplatz, with its impressive wine estates and picturesque squares, became an official stage venue for the first time in the 75-year history of the Tour of Austria. The final stage covered 109 kilometres and 758 metres of elevation gain before finishing in the Austrian capital, Vienna, which last welcomed a Tour finish in 2014. That year, Carinthian rider Marco Haller claimed victory in the memorable “Royal Sprint.”
Langenlois, in the sporting region of Lower Austria, showed its windy side today, with strong crosswinds and tailwinds setting the stage for a high-speed finale. Around Langenlois, the riders completed two laps featuring a Škoda Sprint classification, while the Mautner Markhof Schilterner Berg climb served as the decisive King of the Mountains test.
Just five kilometres after the start, six riders broke away from the peloton: Philipp Hofbauer (Team Vorarlberg), the second-best Austrian in the general classification in 15th place overall; Flip Lepka (CZE) of Schwingshandl Intralogistics; German attacking specialist Mauro Brenner, who featured in breakaways throughout the Lidl Tour of Austria; Václav Ježek (CZE); Sweden’s Joel Mellby; and Poland’s Konrad Czabok, who lost contact with the group only a few kilometres later. At the Škoda Sprint in Kirchberg am Wagram, around the halfway point of the race, the five-man lead group held an advantage of approximately one minute over the peloton.
A Cauldron of Fans at Doppler Hut – a British Victory
The climb to the Doppler Hut began around 30 kilometres from the finish, where countless fans had already gathered to cheer on the riders. As the leaders’ advantage dropped below one minute, WorldTour stars including Jan Christen (UAE Team Emirates XRG) and Héctor Álvarez (Lidl–Trek) launched attacks from the increasingly selective peloton. By the time the race reached Mauerbach on the outskirts of Vienna, only Flip Lepka remained just seconds ahead of the charging field.
Everything pointed towards a mass sprint in front of an outstanding crowd at Vienna’s Burgtheater—and that is exactly what unfolded.
Sam Watson of Netcompany INEOS proved to be the fastest rider, defeating Vincenzo Albanese (EF Education–EasyPost) and Austria’s Patrick Konrad (Lidl–Trek).
For Tour de France stage winner Konrad, it was a satisfying way to end the race:
“I had to leave the Tour de Suisse due to illness, so my form wasn’t perfect at the Lidl Tour of Austria. But finishing on the podium today in front of so many spectators is a great way to end the race.”
Gregor Mühlberger Writes Austrian Cycling History
Austrian cycling fans had waited 13 years for another home winner since Riccardo Zoidl’s overall victory. The 32-year-old Gregor Mühlberger, the third Tour winner from Lower Austria, also became the first overall champion representing the Austrian National Team since Harald Morscher in 1994.
Mühlberger also matched Gerrit Glomser’s achievement of winning two stages in a single edition of the race, first accomplished in 2003. Furthermore, he became the first Austrian since Roman Humenberger in 1971 to wear the leader’s jersey from the opening stage through to the final finish.
This success is no coincidence. Over the past decade, Mühlberger has established himself as one of Austria’s strongest stage racers, highlighted by his impressive 15th place overall at this year’s Giro d’Italia, where he played a key support role in Felix Gall’s runner-up finish. The rider affectionately known as “Mübsi” is a two-time Austrian Elite National Champion and celebrated the fifth overall stage race victory of his career today. His résumé also includes prestigious stage wins at the Tour of the Alps, the Deutschland Tour, the BinckBank Tour, and two victories at the Sibiu Cycling Tour, as well as his memorable triumph at the German classic Rund um Köln in 2017.
For the Salzburg-based rider, today’s victory fulfilled a lifelong dream:
“I’d like to thank my entire team. They sacrificed so much for me. You simply can’t win a race of this level without a strong team.”
He admitted that he only truly believed he had secured the overall victory after cresting the final climb to the Doppler Hut before entering Vienna.
“This isn’t just another victory for me. Winning the biggest race in my home country is incredibly special. We’re all staying in Vienna tonight—my whole family and many friends are here. We’re going to celebrate properly together.”
Jersey Winners
Gregor Mühlberger secured the overall victory by 1:25 over UAE Team Emirates XRG rider Kevin Vermaerke, with Lidl–Trek’s Bauke Mollema finishing third overall at 1:40. Team Vorarlberg’s Philipp Hofbauer climbed to 14th place on the final stage to become the second-best Austrian overall, repeating last year’s achievement.
Kevin Vermaerke won the Škoda Points Classification ahead of Gregor Mühlberger, while Poland’s Piotr Pękala (ATT Investments) claimed the Mautner Markhof Mountains Classification, also ahead of Mühlberger. Andrew August (Netcompany INEOS) won the DAN Küchen Best Young Rider Classification.
German rider Mauro Brenner, last year’s national champion, was named the race’s Most Aggressive Rider, while Netcompany INEOS claimed the Best Team award. Tirol KTM Cycling Team also delivered an outstanding performance, finishing fifth overall as the highest-ranked Continental team
