American rider Neilson Powless celebrated victory on Stage 3 of the Lidl Tour of Austria, claiming his first stage win in Austria during his debut appearance in the country. Race leader Gregor Mühlberger faced a few anxious moments on the route from East Tyrol to Salzburg, but the Austrian and his teammates ultimately kept the race under control.
Stage 3 of the Lidl Tour of Austria covered 189.5 kilometres and 2,315 metres of elevation gain, taking the riders from Lienz in East Tyrol to St. Johann/Alpendorf in Salzburg, which hosted a stage finish for the 16th time.
Following an opening circuit around Lienz, including a sprint classification, the route headed over the Felbertauern towards Salzburg. The stage winner was expected to be decided on the notorious final climb known as the “Wall of Alpendorf”: a 2.6-kilometre ascent with gradients of up to 14.8 per cent.
The pace was relentless from the opening kilometres in East Tyrol, signalling that a high-speed stage was in store. A strong group of 22 riders eventually broke clear on the Felbertauern.
The breakaway included several high-profile names, among them Giro d’Italia winner Tao Geoghegan Hart and his Lidl–Trek teammate Héctor Álvarez, UAE Team Emirates–XRG riders Jan Christen, Portuguese champion António Morgado and Igor Arrieta, EF Education–EasyPost’s Neilson Powless, Austrian champion Michael Gogl of Alpecin–Premier Tech, Patrick Gamper of Team Jayco AlUla and former Tour of Austria winner Riccardo Zoidl of Hrinkow Advarics.
Sebastian Putz of the Austrian national team and Thomas Tichler of WSA KTM Graz were also part of the move. After 100 kilometres, the group had established a lead of around three minutes.
Behind them, however, the Austrian national team continued to work for overall leader Gregor Mühlberger and kept the situation under control.
Anxious moments for Mühlberger
At the Buchberg mountain classification, around 50 kilometres from the finish, the breakaway began to split apart. Neilson Powless and Igor Arrieta attacked at the front and extended their advantage to more than four minutes.
Arrieta, a Giro d’Italia stage winner this season, had started the day just 5:51 minutes behind Mühlberger in the general classification and therefore posed a potential threat to the Austrian’s overall lead.
In the peloton, riders from the Austrian national team and Team Vorarlberg initially set the pace, with Lidl–Trek later contributing to the chase.
With 20 kilometres remaining, the stage appeared set for a two-rider battle for victory. Meanwhile, the national team could begin to breathe a little easier as the gap gradually started to fall.
Powless wins thrilling duel for the stage
Powless and Arrieta reached the final climb to St. Johann/Alpendorf together. In a thrilling sprint to the line, the American proved strongest and secured the stage victory ahead of the Spaniard.
Arrieta’s UAE Team Emirates–XRG teammate Jan Christen finished third, 27 seconds behind. Austrian champion Michael Gogl was the best-placed home rider in sixth.
“Racing here in Austria is truly fantastic. The stages are so beautiful and the scenery is incredible. I think I will come back here with my family soon,” said Powless.
The 29-year-old added: “I was very careful in the final because I did not want to go beyond my limit too early. It is a great victory for me.”
Powless won the Étoile de Bessèges general classification in 2023 and claimed victory at Dwars door Vlaanderen last season.
Mühlberger successfully defends overall lead
Gregor Mühlberger remained composed despite the temporary threat posed by Arrieta during the stage.
“I told my teammates that the riders behind me in the general classification also had to work if they did not want to lose their places on the podium,” said Mühlberger. “Nevertheless, we still had to try to keep everything under control. I am happy with the result. Now we all need to recover well.”
Tomorrow’s stage around Steyr will be something of a home race for the Lower Austrian.
“I will definitely be waving to a lot of friends and familiar faces tomorrow – and they will see me suffering on the roads around my home region,” Mühlberger said.
Mühlberger also continues to lead the Škoda points classification and the Mautner Markhof mountains classification.
Andrew August of Netcompany INEOS will once again wear the DAN Küchen jersey as the best young rider, while Philipp Hofbauer of Team Vorarlberg will wear the Gebrüder Weiss jersey as the best Austrian on behalf of Mühlberger. Sebastian Putz of the Austrian national team was named the day’s most active rider.
Stage 4: Circuit around Steyr in Upper Austria
Stage 4 of the Lidl Tour of Austria will take place tomorrow over 170.5 kilometres and 2,325 metres of elevation gain through Upper Austria.
The stage will start at 1:00 p.m. on Steyr’s Stadtplatz. Following the Škoda sprint classification in Micheldorf, the route enters the new 360° Alpenland region before passing through Kirchdorf and Hinterstoder and returning to Steyr.
The riders are expected to cross the finish line for the first time at approximately 4:20 p.m. before tackling the final circuit, including the famous and feared Porscheberg climb. Teams Hrinkow Advarics and Schwingshandl Intralogistics will host a dedicated fan zone at the climb.
Text and Video Credits: Tour of Austria; Photo credits Tour of Austria & Expa Pictures