2017 UCI Europe Tour | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Race details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dates | 2–8 July 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stages | 6 + Prologue | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Distance | 1,121.7 km (697.0 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Winning time | 27h 10' 07"[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2017 Tour of Austria (German: Österreich-Rundfahrt 2017) was the 69th edition of the Tour of Austria cycling stage race. The 1,121.7-kilometre (697.0 mi)-long race started in Graz on 2 July with a prologue individual time trial up the Schloßberg hill, and concluded in Wels on 8 July.
The race consisted of 6 road stages and the aforementioned prologue, one stage less than the 2016 edition. The race was part of the 2017 UCI Europe Tour, and was rated as a 2.1 event.[2]
The race was won by home rider Stefan Denifl (Aqua Blue Sport),[3] who took the first victory of his professional career. Denifl finished 37 seconds clear of Spain's Delio Fernández, riding for the Delko–Marseille Provence KTM squad,[1] while the podium was completed by Colombian Miguel Ángel López of Astana,[1] 59 seconds down on Denifl but a winner of the race's queen stage to the Kitzbüheler Horn. In the race's other classifications, Sep Vanmarcke (Cannondale–Drapac) was the winner of the points classification,[1] Pieter Weening of Roompot–Nederlandse Loterij was the winner of the mountains classification,[1] while Team Dimension Data were the winners of the teams classification.[1]
Viviani has been at the centre of speculation in the past month that he may be ready to leave Team Sky, and this victory in Austria was for the Italian national team rather than for his trade squad, who are absent from the UCI 2.1-ranked event.