A Slovenian enjoys home advantage in the Upper Austrian Tour

In 2016, the young Slovenian Jaka Primozic won the international junior tour on the Gmundnerberg. Now the 24-year-old, who like his friend, today’s cycling superstar Tadej Pogacar, was once one of the greatest talents in his country, also wants to show off at the Tour of Upper Austria. The Belgian lander Loockx won the prologue on Thursday in Linz in 1:03.39 minutes after his teammate Daan Soete had won the last two years.

Little Slovenia has long been a big name in the cycling world. Primoz Roglic was celebrated as the big winner of the Giro d’Italia in Rome last Sunday after three triumphs at the Vuelta, in a few weeks his compatriot Pogacar will again be the favorite when the Tour de France is due. But even on the levels below the World Tour, there are many riders from there who are striving for the top in their wake. Just like Primozic.

“He really got the hang of it this year,” says team manager Dominik Hrinkow. Primozic has already won the Wels cherry blossom race. With the German mountain specialist Jonas Rapp, the “Greens from Steyr” have another ace up their sleeve. But the cyclists of the Wels Felbermayr team are no less motivated. “It’s like our home World Cup,” says sporting director Rupert Hödlmoser, who has two irons in the fire with Riccardo Zoidl and the Czech Michael Kukrle.

The first man in yellow at the 13th edition of the tour was Loockx, who also won the cross-country race in Stadl-Paura in 2018. “We won’t give up the jersey without a fight,” promised the Belgian before today’s first stage (live on nachrichten.at), which leads from Eferding to Geinberg.

The tour, which lasts until Sunday, is an important dress rehearsal for the local Continental teams for the comeback of the Tour of Austria in July. After Alpecin, Jayco and UAE, another top racing team named Ineos.

13th Upper Austria cycling tour

Prologue Linz Hauptplatz – Castle Museum: 1st Loockx (Bel/CX Team Deschacht-Group) 1:03.39 min. (39.74 km/h), 2nd Grossmesso (It/Cycling Team Friuli) 1:04.19, 3rd Soete (Bel/ CX Team Deschacht Group) 1:04.71.

Friday, 1st stage: (181.2 km/2109 hm), route table (at 40 km/h): 11.30 a.m.: Start Intersport Stöcker Eferding; 11.38 am: Taubenbrunn; 11.47: Intersport Stöcker sprint classification; 12.03: Pupping; 12.11: Schaumberg; 12.13: Stroheim; 12.19: mountain classification Mayrhofberg; 12.31 p.m.: Waizenkirchen; 12.40 p.m.: Michaelnbach; 12.54 p.m.: Baptismal Church; 04/13: Wendling; 1.20 p.m.: Geiersberg; 13.28: Eberschwang; 13.38: Pramet; 13.46: Waldzell; 1.59 p.m.: Steiglberg climb; 07/14: Frauschereck; 14.13: St. Johann/Walde; 2.27 p.m.: Maria Schmolln mountain classification; 2.39 p.m.: Hoehnhart; 2.46 p.m.: St. Vitus; 15.05: 1st passage Spa Resort Geinberg; 15.21: through; 3.24 p.m.: 2nd passage through Geinberg; 15.39: through; 15.42: 3rd passage through Geinberg; 15.58: through; 16.01: Finish Geinberg.