Austrian cycling legend: Wolfgang Steinmayr deceased at the age of 82

Austrian cycling is mourning the loss of one of its greatest personalities. Wolfgang Steinmayr passed away on Tuesday morning after a long illness. Born in Hall, he was a trained chef and developed into one of Austria's most successful amateur cyclists in the 1970s.

Honoured at the Tour of Austria

Harald J. Mayer, President of Cycling Austria, paid tribute to the deceased: Austrian sport had lost a person who had achieved absolute top performances in sport with a lot of heart and commitment and who had also been fully involved in life professionally. As an ambassador for cycling, he leaves a huge gap. The 75th edition of the Tour of Austria begins in Graz in a month and a half. Steinmayr had been involved in the preparations and supported a special classification created by organiser Thomas Pupp and Cycling Austria. This includes an additional intermediate sprint on all five stages. The classification is now called Cycling Austria - Tour 75 - Special classification Wolfgang Steinmayr.

Wolfgang Steinmayr: Duels with Rudolf Mitteregger

Steinmayr fought legendary battles with Rudolf Mitteregger in the Tour of Austria. The two riders shaped an entire era of domestic road cycling. The Tyrolean secured a total of four overall victories in the Tour of Austria between 1972 and 1976. He still holds this record today. His strengths lay above all in the mountains, where he was the first to cross the Grossglockner in 1972 and 1975. He won the mountain classification of the Tour of Austria three times.

Wolfgang Steinmayr: International successes

Steinmayr finished second overall in the Tour de l'Avenir in 1973 and 1974. In 1974, he also came second in the Tour of Yugoslavia. He took part in the Olympic Games twice: he finished 55th in Munich in 1972 and 27th in Montreal in 1976. As early as 1971, he won a stage in the Tour of Austria and one in the Tour de l'Avenir. In 1973, he secured three stage wins in the Tour of Austria. In 1974, he won the overall classification and a stage in the Vienna-Rabenstein-Gresten-Vienna race. In 1976, in addition to the overall victory in the Tour of Austria, he also won the overall victory in Vienna-Gresten-Vienna.

Entrepreneur and author

Parallel to his cycling career, Steinmayr founded an insurance agency in 1970. The company insured renowned sporting events such as the Hahnenkamm race in Kitzbühel and the Bergisel ski jump in Innsbruck. In 2010, he handed over the family business to his son Christian. In 1977, he self-published the book Tips, Technique, Training.