13 as a double lucky number for Team Vorarlberg
Not a day goes by without good news for Team Vorarlberg at the 75th Tour of Austria. While Tobias Nolde took the lead in the mountains classification yesterday, Philipp Hofbauer claimed the jersey for the best Austrian today, finishing 13th in both the stage and the overall standings. And he did so on the Tour’s queen stage, which led from Bad Kleinkirchheim to the Großglockner.
A decisive move in the overall standings was predicted for the climb to the “Roof of the Tour,” and with perfect summer weather and a temperature of 25 degrees, the race got off to a fast start with the first breakaway attempts. For Team Vorarlberg, it was once again Tobias Nolde who built up a lead of over four minutes in a nine-rider group. But then the World Tour teams took control on the spectacular course, which provided impressive TV footage. Just like the day before, Gregor Mühlberger rode a perfect race, leaving everyone behind on the final climb, and now leads the overall standings by 1:31 minutes.
After a less-than-ideal first day, Philipp Hofbauer had announced he would go all out today. And the 23-year-old from Styria, riding for Team Vorarlberg, kept his word. Well supported by his teammates for much of the race, he was forced to fall back slightly on the final climb when the strong World Tour teams really ramped up the pace. However, Hofbauer didn’t let them shake him off decisively; he pushed himself to the limit and, finishing 13th for the day (-3:28 minutes), jumped 31 spots in the overall standings to 13th place. He trails the outstanding Gregor Mühlberger—who will join Felix Gall on the world-class Lidl-Trek team next season—by just 5:34 minutes.
Thomas Kofler, who was there in person, was understandably pleased and praised his entire team. “We have every reason to be super happy today. The guys did everything right, put Hofi in position, and then conserved their energy as best they could for the coming days. Philipp secured a jersey on behalf of overall leader Gregor Mühlberger, and Tobias picked up points twice along the way—that part of the plan worked out too.”
So the plan for tomorrow is clear: “Hofbauer is aiming for a top-15 finish in the overall standings, Nolde is right in the thick of the race for the mountain jersey in third place, and I secretly think the course is tailor-made for Giacomo Ballabio. Maybe he’ll pull off a surprise in this very strong field.”
By the way, tomorrow’s stage starts in Lienz. East Tyrol is one of Team Vorarlberg’s partners, so the stage will be a bit like a home race. The team led by Thomas Kofler and race director Paul Renger recently held an altitude training camp in the region.
Note: All stages of the Tour of Austria will be broadcast live on ORF 1 during the last two hours of each stage. K19 will handle the video production and stream all stages live.
The cover photo shows Philipp Hofbauer, who will start tomorrow wearing the jersey for the best Austrian rider.*
Stage 2 Results
www.procyclingstats.com/race/tour-of-austria/2026/stage-2
Overall Standings
https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/tour-of-austria/2026/stage-2-gc
Mountain Classification
www.procyclingstats.com/race/tour-of-austria/2026/stage-2-kom
Press Service Team Vorarlberg
www.team-vorarlberg.at
office@proevent-cycling.at
*Please note: The photos may be used free of charge for editorial coverage of Team Vorarlberg in print and online media. Please credit the photographer (Mario Stiehl).
Roster: Giacomo Ballabio, Kilian Feurstein, Philipp Hofbauer, Dominik Röber, Emanuel Zangerle, Colin Stüssi
