Tour of Austria: Philipp Hofbauer is the second-best Austrian – today’s most active rider
Tour of Austria: Philipp Hofbauer is the second-best Austrian – today’s most active rider
“We put up a good fight and were able to make our mark here and there. On the other hand, we have to acknowledge without envy that the level of competition among the World Tour teams was extremely high, and we had a tough time without our captain, Colin Stüssi.” That was the assessment from Team Vorarlberg director Thomas Kofler after the final stage of the Tour of Austria.
Today’s stage was by no means a triumphant ride, as is often the case on the final day of the Tour de France. Over the 109 kilometers from Langenlois to Vienna, the action was intense right from the start thanks to a strong tailwind. After just a few minutes, a small group formed that included Philipp Hofbauer, who sprinted to two time bonuses along the way, virtually moving him back up to 14th place on the overall standings. The Styrian rider from Team Vorarlberg showed a lot of courage today. He initiated the attack, did a lot of the work at the front, and was quite rightly honored at the podium ceremony as the most active rider of the final stage.
Shortly before entering Vienna, the breakaway riders were caught, and the expected finale began with a bunch sprint, which was won by Britain’s Samuel Watson of the INEOS team. The top Team Vorarlberg pro was once again Giacomo Ballabio, who finished in twelfth place, just as he had the day before. Kilian Feurstein lost contact on the very last climb as the pace picked up. With that, any hope that he, as a strong sprinter, might make a prestigious statement was dashed.
The atmosphere along the route was electric, especially on the climbs. The star-studded field received a fitting welcome in front of the Burgtheater, where the tour came to an end after five days and 845 kilometers. All in all, there were plenty of positives for Team Vorarlberg: Philipp Hofbauer finished 14th overall, making him the second-best Austrian behind Tour winner Gregor Mühlberger, and he was also the top rider from an Austrian Continental team. Tobias Nolde was the fifth-best climber of the Tour, having even worn the mountains jersey at the start of the race. In the team classification, Team Vorarlberg finished in tenth place.
Team Vorarlberg now has a two-week break from racing before continuing with a ten-day stage race in the Caribbean. “The Tour of Austria marked the end of a strong first half of the season for us. Our performances so far give us high hopes for the rest of the season,” says Thomas Kofler optimistic about the tasks ahead.
The photos (©Expa) show Team Vorarlberg today before the start in Langenlois, as well as Philipp Hofbauer, who once again gave a stellar performance today. All photos may be used free of charge for editorial coverage of Team Vorarlberg in print and online media. Please credit the photographer.
Stage 5 Results www.procyclingstats.com/race/tour-of-austria/2026/stage-5
Overall Standings www.procyclingstats.com/race/tour-of-austria/2026/gc
Mountain Classification www.procyclingstats.com/race/tour-of-austria/2026/kom
Vorarlberg Press Service Team
www.team-vorarlberg.at
office@proevent-cycling.at
Roster: Giacomo Ballabio, Kilian Feurstein, Philipp Hofbauer, Dominik Röber, Emanuel Zangerle, Tobias Nolde
