News | Team | Tour of Austria • July 12, 2026
Kevin Vermaerke finishes commendable second overall at Tour of Austria
American produces his best week of racing yet for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, with three podium placings more than earning him his final spot in the GC
At the Tour of Austria, Kevin Vermaerke finished safely inside the peloton on the fifth and final stage. In doing so, the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider was able to cement his place in second overall in the final general classification, marking his best result to date for the Emirati squad.
A winter transfer from Picnic PostNL, Vermaerke has really found his feet in the colours of UAE Team Emirates-XRG, and the American was consistent throughout the week at the Tour of Austria.
Beginning with second in the opening stage, the man from the States went on to take third place on stage 2 and second once more on stage 4. With this string of strong results, Vermaerke takes home the points jersey for UAE Team Emirates-XRG.
On the final stage in Austria, Vermaerke’s teammate António Morgado was the strongest finisher. Well shepherded by his teammates all afternoon, the young Portuguese rider sprinted to ninth across the line, bringing the curtain down on the 2026 Tour of Austria.
Reflecting on his week after the stage, Vermaerke could take pride in the team’s attitude and togetherness across the five days. With the points jersey and second overall, the 25-year-old shone brightly each and every day.
Vermaerke: “It was a good week and it was pretty cool for me to have all the guys really commit and race all-out for me. I think the support of the team this week was top-notch. We had a lot of second places, and unfortunately, we didn’t come away with the stage win or the GC title, but we can be proud of how we raced. We have no regrets.
“For me, it’s good to see that my shape is getting better and my experience in these races is getting me closer and closer to that first pro win. So I am going to have to keep chasing it for a little bit longer! I am leaving the race feeling really proud of the team – we secured the points jersey and second on GC.
“I had hoped for a win but Gregor [Mühlberger] was super strong for the GC, so chapeau to him.”
Tour of Austria 2026 stage 5 results:
1. Samuel Watson (Netcompany Ineos) 2:13:01
2. Vincenzo Albanese (EF Education-EasyPost) s.t
3. Patrick Konrad (Lidl-Trek) s.t
9. António Morgado (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) s.t
Tour of Austria 2026 final general classification after stage 5:
1. Gregor Mühlberger (Austria) 19:26:11
2. Kevin Vermaerke (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +1:25
3. Bauke Mollema (Lidl-Trek) +1:40
