Großschartner breaks on Kühtai: Del Toro takes overall lead!

Großschartner breaks on Kühtai: Del Toro takes overall lead!

The queen stage of the Tour of Austria has brought about a significant turnaround. On July 12, 2025, Felix Großschartner had to give up his overall lead. He was unable to keep up on the demanding final climb on Kühtai and slipped back to tenth place. The new leader is the Mexican Isaac del Toro (UAE team), who sensationally celebrated his third stage win in a row.

The stage, which covered a challenging route of 117 kilometers with 3,500 meters of altitude, started in Innsbruck. A twelve-man escape group, which also included Michael Gogl (Alpecin), dominated the first phase of the race. But the group fell apart on the first 23-kilometer climb to Kühtai, where Rui Costa (EF), the former world champion, was caught in the first part of the climb. Meanwhile, Großschartner, who had been the favorite until then, had to give up 12 kilometers from the finish after an attack from Lennard Kämna (Trek). This attack led to Del Toro increasing the pace and ultimately leaving Großschartner behind.

Del Toro takes his chance

Isaac del Toro put in an impressive performance to win in a trio sprint by four seconds over Archie Ryan (EF) and Rafal Majka (UAE). With this victory he took the overall lead and allowed Großschartner to cross the finish line 3:18 minutes behind him. Del Toro's strategic riding, particularly assisting Majka on the final ramp, paved his way to victory. “It was a tough day, but I'm... very happy with my win,” said Del Toro after the race.

In the overall ranking, the best Austrian Hermann Pernsteiner (ARBÖ Kärnten) is in 13th place, two minutes and 30 seconds behind the leader. Specifically, Ricci Zoidl and Großschartner also lost, with the latter falling nine places and finishing the stage in 15th place.

A look at the history of the tour

The Tour of Austria, launched in 1955, has become a significant event in the cycling calendar. In its early days, the conditions were extremely challenging: the first tour took place without zone boundaries and the participants often had to complete stages over 200 kilometers long. This also includes remarkable stories, such as that of a national rider who was confronted with a wheel defect during the stage from Graz to Vienna and ultimately continued his journey on a spare wheel.

With del Toro's successful stage win, another fascinating chapter is added to the long and illustrious history of the Tour of Austria, which has captivated both beginners and professionals for decades. It remains to be seen in the coming days whether Del Toro can maintain his lead or whether other drivers like Großschartner will find their way back into the game to keep the overall standings exciting.