A Crowning Season

Felix Gall Named Athlete of the Year for the Second Time!

Felix Gall (right) is Austria’s Athlete of the Year.(Bild: GEPA)

Felix Gall capped off his outstanding cycling season by winning his second title as Austria’s Athlete of the Year. The East Tyrolean earned the award primarily through his second-place finish overall at the Giro, third place in the general classification of the Vuelta, and his overall victory at the Tour of Burgos. Gall had previously been honored with the Niki Award in 2023. 

In 2026, professional cyclist Felix Gall cemented his place among the world’s best stage racers. Two Grand Tour podium finishes and victory at the Tour of Burgos within a few months earned the professional cyclist from East Tyrol the title of Athlete of the Year for the second time since 2023. Three years ago, Gall burst onto the scene by winning the queen stage of the Tour de France; this year, the 28-year-old impressed by finishing second in the Giro and third in the Vuelta.

At the Giro, Gall (left) finished second behind Jonas Vingegaard (center).(Bild: EPA/FABIO CIMAGLIA)

  “I achieved my goal twice this year,” said Gall. However, the former junior world champion—who compensated for his weaknesses in time trials with his great strength in the mountains—narrowly missed out on a stage victory in both Italy and Spain. At the Giro, Gall finished second on five stages behind the Dane Jonas Vingegaard and rode to a historic second-place overall finish. Sixty-nine years after Adolf Christian at the Tour de France, he secured only the second Austrian podium finish in one of the three Grand Tours. A few months later, he claimed his third.

Gall (right) also made it onto the podium at the Vuelta.(Bild: AFP/JORGE GUERRERO)

Gall Chose the Right Racing Strategy
Focusing entirely on two season highlights far apart—and the long breaks between races that came with it—proved to be the right move. As preparation for the Giro and the Vuelta, Gall, under the guidance of his coach Stephen Barrett, completed extensive high-altitude training camps—a practice that has long been indispensable for many other pros as well. Immediately before the Vuelta, Gall celebrated his third professional victory by winning the Burgos Tour.

  If the Salzburg resident—who hails from Nußdorf-Debant and enjoys teeing off on the golf course in his free time—continues on his path to success, he’ll be able to compete with the superstars for the most important stage race titles in the coming years as well. Tadej Pogacar and Vingegaard, who are still recovering from crash injuries, are—when at full strength—still a step above him, even though Gall has once again significantly improved his climbing prowess this year through targeted training.

Gall Aims to Take Off with Lidl-Trek
We’ll almost certainly see Gall again at the Tour de France next year—and this time with a new team. The climbing specialist, along with his top domestique from Lower Austria, Gregor Mühlberger, has moved from Decathlon to Lidl-Trek. This is likely also because the French team will continue to rely on French “wunderkind” Paul Seixas (20) in the Tour.

At the financially and personnel-wise very strong racing team with a German license, Gall—who received a three-year contract through 2029—is expected to ride to further successes. “We believe there’s much more potential in him,” emphasized Lidl-Trek CEO Andy Schleck. Despite the unusually high concentration of team captains at Lidl-Trek, Gall looked confidently toward the future: “I’m looking forward to this journey together.”