The Osttirol, Eastern Tyrol, with its fascinating landscapes, will deliver the verdicts of the 48th Tour of the Alps, the euro-regional stage race scheduled from April 21 to 25. After five days of racing through the climbs and descents of the Euregio Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino, Lienz will crown the winner of the Verde Melinda Jersey, exactly as in the 2022 edition when Romain Bardet was crowned champion at the end of an epic stage characterized by bad weather, won by another Frenchman, Thibaut Pinot.

Lienz is a familiar location for the event organized by G.S. Alto Garda: already in 2018, the capital of Osttirol had hosted a stage finish of the #TotA, and in the past it had often been a stage location for the Giro del Trentino, the race from which the Tour of the Alps inherited the legacy.

An absolute novelty for the Tour of the Alps is the finish in Obertilliach, a small mountain village with authentic charm, amid unspoiled landscapes and a surprisingly mild climate, especially in the summer months.

Starting from Sillian, a location just a stone's throw from the Italian border, the fourth stage of the #TotA, 160 km long, could shake up the general classification. After the start, the peloton will return to South Tyrol and then cross into Veneto to quickly tackle the climbs of Lake Misurina, Passo Sant'Antonio, and Passo Monte Croce Comelico, which will bring the caravan back to the Province of Bolzano.

After passing through Jannik Sinner's hometown, Sesto Pusteria, and the town where he was born, San Candido, the group will return to Osttirol to face a finale full of challenges, with the GPM of Anras, the Tessenberg climb, and the GPM of Kartitscher Sattel. After cresting the last difficulty 7 km from the finish, the road will continue downhill towards the Obertilliach finish line, with the last kilometer entirely uphill.

With start and finish in Lienz, the fifth and final stage of the Tour of the Alps of 113 km has all the credentials to decide the final outcome of the race once again, as happened in 2022 when Bardet snatched the green jersey from Pello Bilbao.

After 37 km from the start, the group will encounter the Bannberg, to be tackled twice from an unprecedented and definitely challenging side: 4.5 km at an average of 10%. After the double climb, the group will reach the valley floor before facing the Stronach climb, 3 km on a narrow road with an average gradient of 13%. After cresting the climb, 10 km will separate the riders from the finish, positioned in the central Hauptplatz of Lienz.

"We are excited to welcome the Tour of the Alps to Osttirol once again. Our region boasts a long tradition in cycling and, with its challenging routes and spectacular mountain panoramas, is the ideal setting for an event of this level," declared Franz Theurl, President of the Osttirol Tourism Board. "This competition not only strengthens the bond between Osttirol and cycling but promotes our region as an excellent destination for cyclists and nature lovers."