Everything ready for 9th edition of CRO Race 

(Photo credit: Sport-IT)

ZAGREB, 25 Sept (Hina/CW) – There is just one week left until the start of this year’s ninth edition of the international cycling race, CRO Race, which will begin on 1 October in the coastal town of Vodice, with the finish line traditionally set in Zagreb on 6 October.

Over the course of six days, cyclists will cover a distance of 916 kilometers, competing for the red jersey awarded to the best rider. The technical director of the race, Luka Mišović, stated that the race route is designed to keep the competition unpredictable until the very end, as has been the case in the last few editions.

The race’s founder and director since the beginning, celebrated Croatian cyclist Vladimir Miholjević, is particularly proud of the fact that this year’s CRO Race will feature the current leading team in the International Cycling Union (UCI) rankings, UAE Emirates.

The first stage has undergone some slight changes compared to last year. This year’s race will kick off in Vodice, and after 162.5 km, riders will cross the finish line in Sinj. Sinj was also the finish for the first stage last year, which began in Primošten and was approximately 20 km longer.

(Photo credit: Sport-IT)

The following two stages remain the same as last year. The second stage starts in Biograd na Moru and finishes in Novalja after 119 km, while the third begins in Otočac and ends in Opatija, covering 133.5 km. The “queen” fourth stage will again start in Krk and finish in Labin, as it did last year. However, this year’s distance will be 161 km, 30 km shorter than last year, though riders will still face a climb of 3100 meters.

The most significant route change comes in the fifth stage, with the start in Ozalj, which was the finish location last year. This time, the stage will end in Karlovac after 159.5 km. The final stage, as tradition dictates, will take place on the roads of Zagreb County and the City of Zagreb, covering 157.5 km from Sveta Nedelja to the capital city.

(Photo credit: Sport-IT)

A total of 20 teams from three strength categories will line up at the start in Vodice in one week, including six “WorldTour” teams (Bahrain Victorious, INEOS Grenadiers, Red Bull-BORA-Hansgrohe, dsm-firmenich PostNL, Jayco AlUla, UAE Emirates), eight “ProTeams” (Caja Rural, Kern Pharma, Q36.5, TDT-Unibet, Polti-Kometa, Tudor, Uno X-Mobility, Israel-Premier Tech), and six UCI Continental teams (Adria Mobil, ATT Investments, Ljubljana Gusto Santic, Mazowsze Serce Polski, Metec-Solarwatt, Santic Wibatech).

The race is held under the auspices of the government, the ministry of tourism and sport, the interior ministry, the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ) and many sponsors.