Norwegian cyclist Andre Drege dies in crash at Tour of Austria

Tributes have been paid across cycling after the 25-year-old rider died descending on stage four of the race

Lawrence Ostlere
Saturday 06 July 2024 11:54 EDT
Comments
Andre Drege was riding for Team Coop-Repsol
Andre Drege was riding for Team Coop-Repsol (andredrege/Instagram)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Norwegian cyclist Andre Drege has died after a crash during the Tour of Austria.

Drege, 25, was riding for home-based Team Coop-Repsol on stage four of the race on Saturday when he lost control on a mountain descent.

Ineos Grenadiers rider Filippo Ganna won the race but podiums and presentations were cancelled.

Drege had enjoyed a successful season on the road, with several wins on his CV, and had been tipped for career on the professional tour.

On 15 April, Coop-Repsol had celebrated Drege’s impressive form, tweeting: “WHAT A START to the season we are having! Yesterday André Drege took his 7th UCI-win this season, and we are only in April.”

Tributes have been paid across the sport following the news of his passing.

“A loss felt in the entire cycling community,” tweeted American team EF Education–EasyPost. “Our thoughts are with the friends, family and teammates of André Drege. Rest in peace, André.”

Belgian team Intermarche-Wanty posted: “We are heartbroken to learn the passing of our fellow colleague cyclist André Drege, who had a wonderful career ahead of him. We send our sincere condolences to his family and his team.”

The tragedy echoes the death of Gino Mader at the Tour of Switzerland last year, which shocked the sport and encouraged improved safety measures across cycling.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in