With all eyes on Tour de France, the Tour of Austria will take off this Wednesday. Those who are looking to win the race naturally won't look past UAE Team Emirates - XRG. Even without Tadej Pogacar, the Emirati team is always ready to fight for a victory and Tour of Austria will be no exception.
That is because their leader is none other than the almost-winner of Giro d'Italia, the Mexican wonderkid Isaac del Toro. At just 21 years old, the young rider will command a strong lineup of UAE over the five days with an exciting mountain stage in Innsbruck as the main spectacle of this year's edition.
"I’m excited to get back to racing," says the Mexican star in a pre-race press release. "The Giro was an amazing experience for me. It went better than I ever could have expected and now I’m just focused on growing and learning as a rider and continuing my season with that mentality."
As is typical for the best team in the world, the lineup for Austrian lineup is filled with big names with ambition to succeed on all types of terrain, not just the GC.
"We have a strong team for Austria with Felix also as a local favourite so we aim to be competitive," Del Toro highlights. "It’s my first time at this race and I’m looking forward to discovering this beautiful country."
Along with Del Toro and mentioned Grossschartner, also fresh National champion Rafal Majka will be a part of UAE's mountain train in Austria. On the easier days, Filippo Baroncini, Alessandro Covi and Florian Vermeersch will have their opportunities too. The selection is completed with Julius Johansen.
UAE Team Emirates - XRG for Tour of Austria 2025
- Isaac del Toro
- Filippo Baroncini
- Alessandro Covi
- Felix Grossschartner
- Julius Johansen
- Rafal Majka
- Florian Vermeersch
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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