Following the tragic death of André Drege on stage 4 of the Tour of Austria, organisers have announced that the final stage of the race will not be contested with a condolence ride set to take place instead.
André Drege, a Norwegian rider for UCI Conti team Coop-Repsol, fell on the descent from Großglockner on the queen stage of the Tour of Austria. His death was announced by race organisers following the stage finish.
"Together with the sporting directors and riders of the teams, we have decided not to ride today's stage and instead to hold a neutralised condolence ride in memory of André Drege,” said Tour of Austria director Thomas Pupp.
“The memorial ride was the express wish of André's father, his teammates and his entire team. It gives the entire cycling family the opportunity to come to terms with what happened and to honour André Drege's memory.
“Our entire team is devastated by this tragic accident and our thoughts and prayers are with André's family,” he continued. “His loved ones and his team Coop-Repsol at this incredibly difficult time."
The Tour de France will also pay respect to Drege’s passing on Sunday, with fellow Norwegian team Uno-X Mobility set to arrive at the start line five minutes ahead of the stage start to pay tribute to Drege.
Details on the crash itself and its immediate aftermath are still scarce, with local police currently investigating the circumstances of the crash. However, fellow racer and witness to the crash Jaka Primožič shared his experiences briefly in an Instagram story on Saturday evening.
“As the only witness I can't explain how devastated I am,” the Slovenian rider for Hrinkow Advaric wrote.
“This should never happen. A crash which was nobody's fault. I would give everything to change something so that wouldn't have happened.”
Primožič continued, “My thoughts are with his team and family. Rest in peace, may the cycling heaven be nice to you.”
Pro cyclists across the sport have paid tribute to Drege, including current Tour de France yellow-jersey wearer Tadej Pogačar.
“In the cycling world, we need to look around each other and take care of each other,” Pogačar said.
The condolence ride to be staged in place of the planned final stage of the Tour of Austria will follow a similar schedule to the race plan, with sign-on beginning in Kufsten at 10:15 CET followed by a minute of silence before an official start at 13:30.
Everyone at Cyclingnews would like to extend their deepest condolences to André Drege's family, friends and teammates.
