Italian rider Andrea Bagioli delivered a much-needed breakthrough for his Lidl-Trek team in Steyr today, securing the squad’s first stage win of the 75th Lidl Tour of Austria. Thousands of fans created an electrifying atmosphere throughout Steyr, especially in the fan zone on the Porscheberg climb. The incredible support also seemed to inspire Austrian rider Gregor Mühlberger, who now stands on the brink of the biggest success of his career.
The penultimate stage of the Lidl Tour of Austria covered 170.5 kilometres with 2,325 metres of climbing, showcasing the city of Steyr and the new “360° Alpenland” tourism region. After Škoda sprint classifications in the spa town of Bad Hall and Micheldorf the route continued via Kirchdorf and Hinterstoder back to Steyr before tackling a 25-kilometer finishing circuit featuring the notorious Porscheberg, where thousands of spectators packed a dedicated fan zone along the 1.3-kilometer climb with gradients reaching 19.3%, creating a spectacular atmosphere.
Hrinkow Advarics Goes on the Offensive
Shortly before the second Škoda sprint in Micheldorf, around 35 kilometers into the stage, four riders successfully broke away. Alongside Poland’s Piotr Pękala and Germany’s Mauro Brenner, the local Hrinkow Advarics team was represented by two riders from the Steyr region: Valentin Poschacher and Slovakian Richard Riška. Ahead of the second Mautner Markhof mountain classification at Sandner Linde, 50 kilometers from the finish, the Austrian national team and the WorldTour squads increased the pace in the peloton, reducing the gap to the breakaway to 2:30.
At the first finish-line passage in Steyr, which also featured a Škoda sprint, Piotr Pękala—wearing the red most-combative rider number—crossed first as a solo leader, ahead of Poschacher. The peloton followed approximately 1 minute and 20 seconds behind.
As the race headed toward the Porscheberg the major teams took control and with 20 kilometers remaining, the last escapee, Pękala was caught. A series of attacks followed with Gregor Mühlberger breaking clear alongside three other riders on the Porscheberg. In the final kilometer before Steyr another seven riders came along, forming an eleven-man lead group.
The stage victory was decided in a sprint where Andrea Bagioli (Lidl-Trek) claimed the win, defeating Kevin Vermaerke (UAE Team Emirates) and Andrew August (INEOS), the race’s best young rider. Mühlberger chose not to take any unnecessary risks and crossed the line as the last rider in the lead group.
“We really wanted to take a stage victory. The first few days weren’t easy, but today everything came together for the team. Everyone says tomorrow’s final stage to Vienna is easy because it’s just over 100 kilometers—but that’s exactly why many teams will try something special – and we’ll be ready for it!”, Bagioli said after the finish.
Gregor Mühlberger Approaching the Biggest Moment of His Career
After Stage 4 Gregor Mühlberger leads the general classification by 1:25 over Kevin Vermaerke while Bauke Mollema (Lidl-Trek) came as third.
Mühlberger:
“It was pure goosebumps. It’s incredible how many people came out—especially friends, acquaintances, and of course my whole family. The Porscheberg was an absolute cauldron of noise, and it gave me so much motivation. After the sprint at the top, I decided not to take any more risks and simply make it safely to the finish. Two stage wins are a dream, and now we’re fully focused on winning the Tour in Vienna.”
When asked about the significance of a potential overall victory, Mühlberger added:
“Emotionally winning the Austrian national championship—when my wife was in the team car as a staff member—was my greatest moment. But from a sporting perspective nothing could top winning the overall classification of my home tour.”
There were several changes in the classification jerseys. Thanks to his second-place finish Kevin Vermaerke now leads the Škoda Points Classification, ahead of Mühlberger. Piotr Pękala moved into the lead of the Mautner Markhof Mountains Classification after his aggressive ride. Andrew August (Netcompany INEOS) will wear the DAN Kitchens Best Young Rider jersey into Vienna, while Philipp Hofbauer (Team Vorarlberg), currently 15th overall and the second-best Austrian, will wear the Gebrüder Weiss Best Austrian jersey on behalf of overall leader Gregor Mühlberger.
Final Stage Tomorrow: Langenlois to Vienna
The town of Langenlois in Lower Austria makes its debut as a Tour host. The final stage of the Lidl Tour of Austria will start at 1:30 p.m. tomorrow from the historic Holzplatz square surrounded by impressive wine estates and picturesque streets.
The 109-kilometer finale begins with two local circuits over the Schiltern mountain classification before continuing through Kammern, Kirchberg am Wagram (home to the second sprint), and Tulln. After 83 kilometres the riders will tackle the final mountain classification at Hainbuch in the Vienna Woods (Wienerwald).Then the route passes Mauerbach, rides directly by Schönbrunn Palace where the 75th anniversary sprint is located and continues via Wienzeile and Operngasse into Vienna’s famous Ringstraße. The winner of the final stage will be crowned in front of the Burgtheater from 3:45 p.m. onward. The last time the Tour finished with a “Royal Sprint” in front of the Burgtheater was in 2014, when Austrian rider Marco Haller claimed victory.
