Pernsteiner snatches overall victory from Paez in the final stage – Morath wins again

What a final at the 2025 Alpentour Trophy! In the final uphill time trial to the Schafalm, Austria’s Hermann Pernsteiner delivered a stunning performance: with a heroic ride on the closing stage, the 34-year-old from Lower Austria not only claimed the stage win but also took the overall title—beating none other than defending champion and four-time Alpentour winner Héctor Leonardo Paez. On the women’s side, Germany’s Adelheid Morath completed her perfect sweep with four wins from four stages.

First overall Austrian victory since 2017

Sometimes, cycling writes the best stories. Today was one of those days: with a gutsy solo effort in the mountain time trial to Schafalm, Pernsteiner made the seemingly impossible a reality—taking the overall win at the 2025 Alpentour Trophy with a sensational time of 44:25 minutes.

“Incredible! As a young rider, I used to follow the Alpentour and always dreamed of standing on top of the podium. Today that dream came true,” said an emotional Pernsteiner at the finish.

Heading into the final stage, Pernsteiner trailed Paez by 2:01 minutes. The Colombian appeared poised to defend his title after three strong days of racing. But over the 11.3 kilometers and 1,100 meters of vertical gain, Pernsteiner unleashed his full climbing strength—especially in the final kilometer, where he said he “emptied the tank.”

Paez, 43 years old and the most experienced rider in the field, put in a solid effort (47:27) but couldn’t match the Austrian’s pace. He ultimately finished 1:13 minutes behind, slipping to second overall. With this, Pernsteiner becomes the first Austrian to win the Alpentour Trophy overall since 2017—the very year he had finished second.

Morath flawless – four starts, four wins

Nothing changed at the top of the women’s standings: Germany’s Adelheid Morath once again dominated the field and sealed her perfect run with a fourth stage win. “I was able to ride my pace, and that made the difference. A perfect race to end the week,” said the newly crowned overall winner, who proudly pulled on the GAW jersey for best female rider.

Behind her, Milena Kalašová (CZE) and Tanja Priller (GER) battled for the remaining podium spots. Both delivered consistent performances throughout the week, contributing to a strong women’s field.

Beyond Pernsteiner’s overall win, the Austrian squad delivered impressive performances on the final day: Andreas Waldmann clocked 50:10 to finish 11th on the stage and 17th overall. Michael Holland (Upper Austria) rode to 15th place on the day with a time of 50:39 and finished 16th overall.

In the elite women’s field, Styrian rider Marlies Feichtenhofer placed 6th on the final stage (1:07:39) and finished 7th overall. Sabine Sommer (Upper Austria) completed the time trial in 1:12:11, placing 10th on the day and securing a strong 5th place overall.