Following the tragic death of André Drege on stage 4 of the Tour of Austria, organizers have announced that the final stage will not be contested and a condolence ride will be held instead.

Norwegian rider Andre Drege, a member of the UCI Conti team and Coop Repsol, crashed on the Queen stage of the Tour of Austria, the descent from Großglockner. His death was announced by race organizers after the stage.

"Together with the sport directors of the teams and riders, we have decided not to ride today's stage and instead to organize a neutral condolence ride in memory of Andre Drege," said Tour of Austria director Thomas Pup.

"The memorial ride was the clear wish of Andre's father, his teammates, and the entire team. This memorial ride gives the entire cycling family the opportunity to accept what has happened and honor the memory of André Drege." [Our entire team is devastated by this tragic accident and our thoughts and prayers are with Andre's family. His loved ones and his team, Coupe Repsol, are at this incredibly difficult time."

The Tour de France will also mourn Drege's death on Sunday, with fellow Norwegian team Uno-X Mobility scheduled to arrive at the start line five minutes before the stage start to pay tribute to Drege.

Details of the crash itself and the immediate aftermath are still unknown, as local police are still investigating the circumstances of the crash. However, Jaka Primozic, another racer and witness to the crash, briefly described his experience in an Instagram story on Saturday evening.

"As the only witness, I can't explain how devastated I am," wrote the Slovenian rider of the Hrinkow Advaric.

"This should never have happened. The crash is no one's fault. I want to dedicate everything to change something so that something like this never happens." [My thoughts are with his team and family. He continued, "Rest in peace and may cycling heaven be kind to you.

Professional cyclists from around the sport paid tribute to Drege, including Tadey Pogachar, who wore the yellow jersey of the current Tour de France.

"In cycling, we need to look out for each other and take care of each other," Pogachar said.

The condolence ride in place of the final stage of the Tour of Austria will follow the same schedule as the race plan, with sign-on beginning at 10:15 Central European Time in Kufsten and a minute of silence before the official start at 13:30.

All of us at CyclingNews would like to extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and teammates of Andre Drege.