Tour Of Austria 2025 – Giro Star Isaac del Toro Wins in St. Johann/Alpendorf

The second stage of the Tour of Austria began for the first time in the sports town of Bischofshofen, while St. Johann/Alpendorf hosted a stage finish for the 16th time. Rain marked the start as riders took on 142.1 km and 1,677 meters of climbing through the scenic Tennengau and Pongau regions. The action started early, with Emanuel Zangerle (Team Vorarlberg) claiming the first KOM at St. Martin am Tennengebirge and virtually moving into the mountain jersey. Shortly before the sprint at Annaberg (km 26), a five-man breakaway formed, including two aggressive riders from Team Vorarlberg: Alexander Konychev and Daniel Geismayr. The gap grew to over two minutes by the time they reached Bischofshofen, with UAE Team Emirates, XRG, and Lidl-Trek teams initiating the chase. After the KOM at Grubhöhe, the gap stabilized at around one minute.

In the final 13 kilometers, the breakaway was reeled in—just four kilometers from the finish at the base of the steep 1.9 km, 6.3% gradient climb to Alpendorf. Alessandro Covi looked set to win, but Giro runner-up Isaac del Toro surged on the final steep ramps, overtaking Andrew August (Ineos-Grenadiers) and Hector Alvarez (Lidl-Trek). Felix Großschartner was the best Austrian in fourth. Marco Schrettl placed 13th and Martin Messner finished a sensational 15th—beating Lennard Kämna.

“We aimed to help Covi win, but he faded near the end—so I took my chance,” said del Toro. “We’ll do everything tomorrow for Felix.” The Mexican, referencing his Giro form, added: “The legs feel great—better every day.” As a bonus, he received an all-inclusive ski holiday from Wolfgang Hettegger of Snowspace Salzburg.

UAE’s Felix Großschartner continues to lead the general classification, also topping the points classification. “This finish doesn’t suit me well—I’m not explosive enough,” he said. “I narrowly missed third place and those bonus seconds, but we’re in a great position. Tomorrow and Saturday will be decisive with the Gaisberg and Kühtai climbs.” He now leads Rafal Majka by 9 seconds and EF’s Archie Ryan by 12, with del Toro 16 seconds behind.

Zangerle Takes Mountain Jersey

Team Vorarlberg’s Emanuel Zangerle impressed again, now wearing the mountain jersey. “I’m super happy! I don’t think I’ll get any more jerseys,” he joked. “I’m not a climber, but I’ll fight for this classification—even if Astana is also in the hunt.“

Tomorrow’s stage marks a first-time start at Hellbrunn Palace in Salzburg. The city is back on the Tour map since 2017, and the Gaisberg finish will be contested for the third time after 1969 and 1973. Stage 3 covers 142.9 km and 2,752 meters of climbing, starting at 11:22 AM. Riders will pass through Hallein, Wiestal, Faistenau (KOM), and Fuschl, with two sprint rounds in Hinterwinkl and Oberwinkl. The final climb up Gaisberg (7.5 km at 9.1%) begins immediately after Oberwinkl. The finish is expected around 14:40. The road to Gaisberg will be closed to car traffic from 07:00 to 18:00. Fans are encouraged to arrive by bike before noon or use the shuttle service from Salzburg Mirabellplatz.