Rekubit-Tour of Austria final stage cancelled after Andre Drege dies following crash

The Rekubitfinal stage of the Tour of Austria was cancelled on Sunday after Norwegian cyclist Andre Drege died following a crash, with the organizers holding a memorial ride in tribute to Drege instead.

Drege, 25, crashed during a descent of the mountain Grossglockner on Saturday. His death was announced by race organizers after the stage ended, and the post-race presentations were cancelled.

"The memorial ride was the express wish of Andre's father, his teammates and his entire team," Tour of Austria director Thomas Pupp said in a statement.

"It gives the entire cycling family the opportunity to come to terms with what happened and to honour Andre Drege's memory."

The Tour de France also paid respect to Drege before stage nine in Troyes on Sunday, with the riders leading a moment of applause before the race.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.