The Tour de France riders finished Stage 8 to Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises in rain and grey skies, with the death of Norwegian André Drege in the Tour of Austria casting a veil of sadness over the race.
Reports of Drege’s death emerged in the final hour of the Tour de France stage, and the riders seemed unaware of the tragic news as they finished the stage. Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) won the sprint on the uphill finish, and Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) retained the leader’s yellow jersey.
As they reached the podium or boarded the buses, the drivers were quietly informed of Drege’s tragic death.
“We have a pretty cool job, but most of the time it’s really dangerous,” Pogačar said after the stage, reflecting the mood of many riders in the peloton.
Professional riders are well aware of the risks they take every day as they ride on wet roads, gravel tracks and downhill, but they keep going. The death of any rider is a moment of deep reflection.
“Sometimes we don’t appreciate enough what we have. That’s how it always is in life,” Pogačar added.
“My thoughts are with his family and friends as well as with the organizers of the Austrian Tour and all the riders there.
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“In the cycling world, we have to look out for each other and take care of each other.”
Just over a year ago, Gino Mäder died in a fall on the descent from the Albula Pass during the Tour de Suisse. And a few weeks ago, a 17-year-old Italian died during the junior tour in Austria.
Despite efforts to improve safety, road racing remains a dangerous sport.
Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) heard the news of his fellow Norwegian’s death in the winners’ area as he was preparing to put on the polka dot mountain jersey after going on the attack again during the stage to score points. He preferred not to speak.
The Uno-X mobility bus waited for its riders behind the finish area with closed doors and a certain sadness. The team represents the flag of Scandinavian and especially Norwegian cycling.
Only the experienced team leader Alexander Kristoff spoke.
“I just heard about it,” he said. “I don’t really know what happened. It’s really sad news.”
Kristoff raced against Drege and his team Coop-Repsol in the Tour of Norway and the Arctic Race of Norway, as well as together in the Norwegian national team.
“I knew André a little because I rode with him in the national team. He was a very good guy and had a good season,” explained Kristoff.
“He was a quiet guy, but he won several races this year and was on his way to becoming a professional cyclist next year,” Kristoff said.
“It’s really unbelievable, but these things happen and unfortunately it seems to be happening more and more often. This is devastating news.”
The team later posted a message with a photo of Drege on social media.
“It is with great sadness that we at Uno-X Mobility received the news of the tragic death of André Drege on today’s stage of the Tour of Austria. Our thoughts and deepest sympathy go out to André’s family, friends, relatives and all his colleagues in the Coop-Repsol team.
“André Drege was a talented and dedicated cyclist and his death is a great loss for the sport. During this difficult time, we would like to express our support to all those affected and stand by the Norwegian cycling community.”
Other teams and drivers reacted to Drege’s death later in the day, posting messages on social media.
“My thoughts and prayers are with Andrés family and loved ones,” wrote Remco Evenepoel.
“We are saddened by the tragic death of Norwegian cyclist André Drege. Our thoughts are with his family, loved ones and teammates,” wrote Visma-Lease a Bike.
“A loss felt by the entire cycling community. Our thoughts are with André Drege’s friends, family and teammates. Rest in peace, André,” said EF Education-EasyPost.
Heartbreaking news from the Tour of Austria today. We send all our love and strength to André Drege’s friends, family and teammates in Team Coop Repsol,” wrote Lidl-Trek.
The entire Cyclingnews team would like to express its deepest condolences to André Drege’s family, friends and teammates.
We are devastated by the tragic passing of André Drege🌹Our thoughts and prayers are with André’s family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time. André’s family has asked for privacy while they mourn their loss and we politely ask that you respect their wishes. pic.twitter.com/qtD79ItOnIJuly 6, 2024
