Team Vorarlberg: A Successful Debut in the Caribbean

Team Vorarlberg: A Successful Debut in the Caribbean

 

Team Vorarlberg is venturing into unfamiliar territory these days. For the first time, Thomas Kofler’s team is competing in the Caribbean, 7,200 kilometers away from home. Their debut went well.

 

With temperatures at 36 degrees and strong winds, the riders got a taste right from the prologue of what awaits them over the ten stages leading up to next Sunday. The stage was a time trial in the small town of Petit-Canal, a historic stronghold of the country. The town is home to several memorials commemorating the painful history of slavery in Guadeloupe.

 

Kaden Hopkins of Bermuda claimed the yellow jersey as the overall leader after just under twelve kilometers, averaging over 50 km/h. He finished a mere 0.58 seconds ahead of Bogdan Zabelinskiy, who is competing for Cyprus.

 

The top Team Vorarlberg pro finished Dominik Röber finished in a solid sixth place. He lost only 23 seconds, making him slightly faster than his captain, Colin Stüssi, who finished eleventh. “Mission accomplished, “Everyone did a great job,” said Race Director Paul Renger, expressing his satisfaction with the season opener in the new setting.

 

On Saturday, the race heads from Guadeloupe Airport to Port-Louis—at 163 kilometers, the longest stage of the tour. In total, over 1,225 kilometers are on the schedule through next Sunday. Twenty-eight teams will be at the starting line.

 

By the way: Guadeloupe is a French overseas department in the eastern Caribbean. Together with Martinique, Saint Barthélemy, and Saint Martin, it forms the French Antilles. What many people don’t know: Guadeloupe is part of the European Union, and its official currency is the euro.

 

Guadeloupe has a population of 400,000 and an area of 1,702 km². It consists of several archipelagos with a total of over 50 islands, six of which are inhabited. The climate is characterized by tropical temperatures and high humidity.

 

Note: Due to the time difference (6 hours), the stages don’t end until late in the evening in our time zone. Reports on the individual daily segments are therefore always scheduled for the morning of the following day.

 

Result: www.procyclingstats.com/race/tour-cycliste-international-de-la-guadeloupe/2026/stage-1

Information: www.letour-guadeloupe.fr

 

Our photo shows Team Vorarlberg at the team presentation on Thursday.

Roster: Dominik Amann, Kilian Feurstein, Tobias Nolde, Dominik Röber, Emanuel Zangerle, Colin Stüssi