Stage victory: perfect birthday present for Kilian Feurstein
Day 3 of the Upper Austria Tour – 157 km from Asten to Bad Schallerbach
“What a strong exclamation mark from Team Vorarlberg,” Thomas Hölzl from K19 had already commented approvingly during the TV broadcast. And in the final sprint, Thomas Kofler and sports director Paul Renger’s team topped off their brilliant performance: Kilian Feurstein was perfectly positioned by his colleagues and gave himself the best present for his 23rd birthday in the final meters.
The young rider from Vorarlberg had already impressed yesterday and was the best Austrian in fourth place, although he was hampered by a crash in the final.
“An incredible day,” was Kilian Feurstein’s first reaction. “I felt really good. My colleagues did an extremely good job and supported me perfectly. Now I’m just happy that I was able to give something back to the team with the win,” was the huge joy at the finish.
The day had already started well for Team Vorarlberg. started well. Colin Stüssi was in a promising group that was able to pull out a lead of almost three and a half minutes. After the However, when the seven-man group was caught, a very fast (average over 46 km/h) and sometimes hectic finale developed. Around 50 riders arrived in Bad Schallerbach at the same time, “where we bet everything on Kilian”, as Paul Renger reported. “We knew he was in good shape. I’m incredibly happy that the plan worked out and it worked.”
Team boss Thomas Kofler: “This is certainly a small milestone for cycling in Vorarlberg. It’s been a while since a rider from Vorarlberg has won at UCI level. I am particularly pleased that this success is the result of perfect teamwork.”
In the overall standings, the Brazilian Henrique Bravo from the talent factory of the world-class team Soudal Quick-Step defended his lead. Colin Stüssi improved to best Team Vorarlberg rider in 15th place, 27 seconds behind Bravo.
After a total of four stages and 520 kilometers, the Tour of Upper Austria will conclude on Sunday at Aigen-Schlägl Abbey. The UCI category 2.2 race has a first-class line-up with development teams from World Tour teams and various national teams.
Cover picture: Kilian Feurstein won the third stage of the Tour of Upper Austria in a thrilling sprint. The other pictures show impressions from yesterday’s second day (Photos: Reinhard Eisenbauer).
Result: www.procyclingstats.com/race/oberosterreichrundfahrt/2026/stage-3
Further information: www.ooe-classics.at/ooe-rundfahrt
Squad: Colin Stüssi, Emanuel Zangerle, Dominik Röber, Tobias Nolde, Kilian Feurstein, Philipp Hofbauer
