Austria Top Tour 2026: Series ends with record turnout

For the first time in its history, Austria’s largest cycle marathon series comprised seven races. With 13,000 participants across all races, a new record was set. However, one MTB race played a major part in this: More than 4,200 riders from 42 nations lined up at the start of the 29th Salzkammergut Trophy in Bad Goisern. Austria’s toughest mountain bike race, together with the Thayarunde cycle marathon in Waidhofen an der Thaya, marked the end of the season.

Thaya Circuit with the Austrian Championship

530 cyclists from 14 countries took part in the third Thayarunde Cycle Marathon in northern Lower Austria. The 22-kilometre individual time trial took place on Saturday. Nikolaus Szava and Virág Benedek from Hungary won their respective categories. The 100-kilometre cycle marathon on Sunday also served as the Austrian Road Marathon Championship. Anton Erlbacher won in 2 hours 24 minutes 30 seconds, whilst Virág Benedek completed the women’s race in 2 hours 41 minutes 38 seconds. Mayor Josef Ramharter and club chairman Eduard Köck expressed their satisfaction with the accident-free event.

Overall victory in the Austria Top Tour

The 26-year-old from Salzburg, riding for Team RH77 Factory Racing, competed in five races in the series. He won the Thayarunde, came second in the ARBÖ Carinthia Cycle Marathon and third in the Lake Neusiedl Cycle Marathon. Fabian Reischenböck of RSV Atterbiker also completed five races and finished second overall. Daniel Hochstrasser, Reischenböck’s team-mate and amateur time trial world champion, completed the podium. Erlbacher works as a teacher in Kuchl and cycled 20,000 kilometres last year, covering 350,000 metres of elevation gain. He won the Austrian Cycling Marathon Championship for the second year running.

Pichler wins the Austria Top Tour

Corina Pichler of RH77 Factory Racing came out on top against Anna Haditsch of SlipStreamrz RC and Marlene Pühringer of Female Cycling Base. The 33-year-old from the Mühlviertel region competed in four races, one fewer than Haditsch. A victory at the Mondsee Marathon and third-place finishes at the Dolomitenradrundfahrt and the Thayarunde Radmarathon were enough to secure the overall title. Pichler works in graphics and marketing. She also clinched the championship title at the Thayarunde. The series is characterised by the varied demands of the races, ranging from fast classics to challenging mountain marathons.

Austria Top Tour Awards Ceremony

The overall prize-giving ceremony will take place on 24 October at the Hillinger Winery. The event forms part of the third Pannonia Gravel, which will be held on 25 October around Breitenbrunn on Lake Neusiedl, on the grounds of the Bruckneudorf military training area.