Tragic fall: cyclist André Drege dies on a tour of Austria

The Norwegian cyclist André Drege died on July 6, 2024 in a terrible accident during the Tour of Austria. The 25-year-old fell during the departure between Großglockner and Kals and succumbed to his serious injuries at the scene of the accident. The event was described as "tragic" by the organizer, and she pressed her deep sympathy for the family, friends and teammates from Drege, whose heart is "broken". After the incident, the test attempts were unsuccessful, and the last stage of the tour was canceled. Instead, a neutralized condolence ride took place to honor Drege, such as ZDF reported .

Almost half a year later, the cause of the fatal fall is now known. The investigation by the Klagenfurt public prosecutor showed that a tough object had damaged the rear tire Dreges. As a result, air escaped uncontrollably from the tire, which ultimately led to the loss of control over the bike. According to the public prosecutor's spokesman Markus Kitz, experts excluded external negligence. At the accident environment, Drege was traveling in an outlier group when the devastating fall came, as was reported after the accident. Drege's moving achievements in the season, including the victories at the Tour of Rhodes and the South Aegean Tour, were mentioned in the memories of him, while his team -mate Alexander Kristoff gave his grief about the loss by saying: "These are very sad news."

consequences of the accident

The effects of the accident were immediately noticeable. After the news of Drege's death became known, the award ceremony was canceled after the penultimate stage. The incident painfully reminds of other tragic accidents in cycling, including the fatal fall of Gino Mäder last year. These incidents have rejected a debate about security in cycling because there are always serious accidents.