Tour of Austria

Mühlberger Crowned King of the Glockner for the Second Time Since 2014

Gregor Mühlberger(Bild: GEPA)

Gregor Mühlberger has won the queen stage of the Tour of Austria on the Großglockner and is on track for the overall victory in the cycling tour!

Riding in the national team jersey, the Lower Austrian won on Thursday after 188.8 kilometers and approximately 2,914 meters of climbing at the mountain finish on the Franz-Josefs-Höhe, with a lead of over a minute over his closest pursuers, including overall second-place finisher Kevin Vermaerke (USA).

King of the Glockner for the Second Time Since 2014
Mühlberger was thus crowned “King of the Glockner” for the second time since 2014. The 32-year-old extended his lead over Vermaerke to 1:31 minutes. The third stage, covering 189 kilometers, will lead from Lienz over the Felbertauern on Friday to the Alpendorf above St. Johann im Pongau for the 16th time. The Tour of Austria concludes on Sunday after five stages in front of the Burgtheater in Vienna.

After his victory the previous day, Mühlberger went into the queen stage as the man to beat. Following the start in Bad Kleinkirchheim, early attacks proved unsuccessful until a nine-rider breakaway group, including Austrians Lukas Hatz and Maximilian Schmidbauer, managed to pull away. With 45 kilometers to go, their lead over the peloton was nearly five minutes, but it then shrank to one minute by the time they reached Heiligenblut.

Ineos picked up the pace, Mühlberger held his own
With 16 kilometers to go, the Ineos team significantly increased the pace, leaving Mühlberger on his own in their wake. The Brit Paul Double claimed the mountain prize at Kasereck ahead of the rider from Lower Austria; Carlos Rodriguez and veteran Bauke Mollema were also still right up front. In the final kilometers, Mühlberger proved to be the strongest rider, launching an attack and riding solo to the stage victory.

“I knew Ineos would set a fast pace—it was insanely fast. I didn’t know how long I could keep up,” Mühlberger told ORF. Rodriguez, however, struggled with the altitude. The rest of the field was also battling hard. “In the last four kilometers, I tried to seize my chance and, thank God, crossed the finish line alone,” said the Decathlon pro.

“It was certainly a good day”
Vermaerke worked his way back up to the front in the finish; the American finished third behind Britain’s James Shaw. Mühlberger’s lead appears comfortable. “It was certainly a good day. But the tour isn’t over until we cross the finish line in Vienna. For now, let’s just celebrate the two stage wins,” said Mühlberger.

The climb up the Großglockner was back on the schedule this year after a one-year hiatus. On July 6, 2024, the young Norwegian Andre Drege (25) was killed in a crash during the descent of the queen stage to Heiligenblut.

Stage 2 results:
1. Gregor Mühlberger (AUT) Team Austria 4:46:29 hrs.
2. James Shaw (GBR) EF Education +1:10 min.
3. Kevin Vermaerke (USA) Lidl-Trek – same time
Also:
13. Philipp Hofbauer (AUT) Team Vorarlberg +3:29
16. Riccardo Zoidl (AUT) Hrinkow +4:44
20. Jonas Holzknecht (AUT) Tirol +5:26
21. Patrick Konrad (AUT) Lidl-Trek +5:32
22. Martin Messner (AUT) WSA KTM Graz
23. Rainer Kepplinger (AUT) Team Austria – both with the same time

The standings in the overall classification:
1. Gregor Mühlberger (AUT) Team Austria 9:07:11 hrs.
2. Kevin Vermaerke (USA) Lidl-Trek +1:31 min.
3. Bauke Mollema (NED) Lidl-Trek +1:41
Also:
13. Philipp Hofbauer (AUT) Team Vorarlberg +5:34
16. Riccardo Zoidl (AUT) Hrinkow +6:11
18. Patrick Konrad (AUT) Lidl-Trek +6:59
19. Martin Messner (AUT) WSA KTM Graz +6:59