The overall victory at the Tour of the Alps 2025 marked Michael Storer's international breakthrough. The Australian secured the Green Melinda jersey with a stage win in Sterzing and proved his class as a climber on the ramps on the Bannberg and in Stronach. The 29-year-old crowned the season with third place at Il Lombardia behind Tadej Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel.
At the tenth edition of the stage race, Storer will be captain of Tudor Pro Cycling once again at the start. The tour leads from Innsbruck to Bolzano and takes place from 20 to 24 April. Damiano Cunego last succeeded in defending his title at the Giro del Trentino in 2006 and 2007. Sport Alto Garda organises the race through the three Euregio regions of Tyrol, South Tyrol and Trentino.
Storer focusses on April form
The route profile suits the mountain specialist. According to Storer, the date in April suits his build-up of form, as he usually needs time to develop his performance. The start of the season did not go according to plan for the Australian, but he expects to be fully competitive by the Tour of the Alps. The selective climbs should play into his hands.
Last year, Storer had to show full concentration from the first to the last metre. Every stage could be decisive. The 29-year-old is using the five days as preparation for the Giro d'Italia. The stage race provides racing rhythm, tests his form and can build self-confidence with a good result.
Storer felt his way to the top step by step during his career. The Australian did not seek short-term success, but focussed on sustainable development. At Tudor Pro Cycling, he found the right environment for this path. Sporting success never took centre stage, continuous progress was more important. Storer does not want to measure himself against exceptional talents like Tadej Pogačar. Tudor Pro Cycling has been supporting this approach for more than two years.
Seven WorldTour teams at Tour of the Alps
In addition to defending champion Storer, seven WorldTour teams have registered for the Tour of the Alps 2026: Bahrain Victorious, EF Education-EasyPost, INEOS Grenadiers, Lidl TrekRed Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, Team Jayco AlUla and Team Picnic PostNL are bringing top international riders to the start.
Lidl-Trek relies on new signing Derek Gee. The Canadian finished the 2025 Tour of the Alps in third place and came fourth in the Giro d'Italia shortly afterwards. The US team provided the overall winner in 2024 with Juan Pedro López. Giulio Ciccone made headlines the previous year with his stage win in San Lorenzo Dorsino. The Italian later finished second in Liège-Bastogne-Liège and won the Clásica San Sebastián.
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe is led by the Italian Giulio Pelizzari. The climber finished sixth in both the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España. Lorenzo Finn, the reigning U23 world champion, is part of the German squad. Bahrain Victorious is sending Jakob Omrzel into the race. The Slovenian triumphed at the Giro d'Italia Next Gen in 2025 and wants to follow the same path as Frenchman Paul Seixas, born in 2006, who made his international breakthrough at the Tour of the Alps last year.
O'Connor and INEOS as challengers
Ben O'Connor from Team Jayco AlUla is one of the favourites for overall victory. The Australian took his first victory in a prestigious stage race at the Tour of the Alps in 2018 and followed it up with second place overall in 2024. INEOS Grenadiers is once again using the stage race as a dress rehearsal for the Giro d'Italia. The British team can count on a traditionally strong squad. The same applies to EF Education-EasyPost and Team Picnic PostNL, who have consistently focussed their season planning on the Tour of Italy.
Tudor Pro Cycling provided the overall winner of the Tour of the Alps in 2025 with Michael Storer. The team from Switzerland has long since reached WorldTour level in terms of organisation, squad size and professionalism. The Swiss are aiming for nothing less than defending their title.
With Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, another Swiss formation is travelling to the Alpine region. Four teams from Italy will be competing at UCI ProTeams level: Bardiani-CSF 7 Saber, Solution Tech NIPPO Rali, Team Polti VisitMalta and MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort with a Hungarian licence. The Japanese team Ukyo, founded by former Formula 1 driver Ukyō Katayama, appears on the start list for the third time. Team Vorarlberg from Austria has also entered.
Details of the most prominent riders will be announced in the coming weeks. As in previous years, last-minute confirmations from participants who only decide on a start at short notice are possible.
Start in Innsbruck over 144.3 kilometres
The first stage of 144.3 kilometres begins with a flat section through the Inn Valley. This is followed by a 24-kilometre circuit that has to be completed twice and includes a moderate climb up to the Mieminger high plateau. After this circuit, the peloton returns towards Innsbruck. There, another 18-kilometre circuit awaits with the climbs to Götzens and Axams. The latter ramp is the scene of an intermediate sprint with time credits. The last 20 kilometres lead back to the city centre. The finish line is located on Rennweg, the same place that took centre stage at the 2018 World Championships.
The second stage on 21 April starts in Telfs in Tyrol and ends after 147.5 kilometres in the South Tyrolean municipality of Martell. After 20 flat kilometres, the first mountain classification of the first category follows with the Piller Höhe. The 9.2 kilometre long ramp has an average gradient of 6 percent. Before the peloton crosses the national border, the route leads up to the Reschen Pass via a third category mountain classification. The 15.8 kilometre-long passage has an average gradient of 3.4 per cent. The ride over the border follows after the village of Nauders. The tour then continues across the Alpine region in South Tyrol.
Numerous side events are planned in the start and finish area of the opening stage in Innsbruck to entertain the spectators. There will also be an extensive programme in the historic centre of Telfs. A backdrop will be created on the town hall square, which will convey the enthusiasm for cycling in Tyrol to all those taking part in the tour.
Tour of the Alps stages at a glance:
- Monday, 20 April, 2026 1st stage: Innsbruck - Innsbruck, 144.3 km 1,700 m elevation gain
- Tuesday, 21 April, 2026 2nd stage: Telfs - Martell, 147.5 km 2,550 metres altitude difference
- Wednesday, 22 April, 2026 3rd stage: Latsch - Arco, 174.5 km 3,620 metres altitude difference
- Thursday, 23 April, 2026 4th stage: Arco - Trento, 167.8 km 3,900 metres altitude difference
- Friday, 24 April, 2026 Stage 5: Trento - Bolzano, 128.6 km 2,850 metres altitude difference
Kristian Bauer
Editor
