Cyclist André Drege, 25, Dies Following Crash

(LibertySociety.com) – On July 6, Norwegian cyclist Andre Drege, 25, died following a crash during the Tour of Austria.

According to organizers of the Tour of Austria, Drege sustained severe injuries in a “very serious crash” that occurred while Drege was racing with a breakaway group as riders completed the route from St. Johann Alpendorf to Kals. The crash happened as he was descending Grossglockner mountain during the fourth stage of the Tour of Austria race.

The news was confirmed in a social media post on Twitter from his team, Coop-Repsol. The post offered “thoughts and prayers” to his family and friends. The post requested privacy for his family while they grieve.

In a post on Twitter, the International Cycling Union said it was “devastated” to learn the news.

Other teams responded to the news, including DSM-Firmenich PostNL, who wrote on Twitter that it was “an awful day for cycling, and Intermarché-Wanty, who wrote that it was “heartbroken to learn” about the death of Drege, “who had a wonderful career ahead of him.”

Italian cyclist Filippo Ganna won the fourth stage of the Tour of Austria race. However, the ceremony and the final stage of the Tour of Austria were canceled by race organizers. The riders participated in a memorial ride instead of the final stage in honor of Drege.

Drege first began cycling at 14 years old. His family moved from his hometown of Stranda, Norway, to Lillehammer for Drege to access the best training. So far this year, Drege had won seven races, including winning the general classifications at the South Aegean Tour and Tour of Rhodes and winning a stage at the Circuit des Ardennes. He was expected to move up to World Tour level next year.

Drege is the second cyclist to die during a race in just over a year. Gino Mäder, 26, died following a crash during a stage of the Tour de Suisse.

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