CRO Race to pass through Croatian islands for the first time

(Photo: CRO Race)

The 8th edition of the international cycling race CRO Race will be coming to the islands this year. 

With today’s signing of the agreement on cooperation between the organizers of the race and the City of Novalja, Novalja on the island of Pag thus became the first island destination of the CRO Race. In addition to Pag, the cyclists will ride on the island of Krk, which will host the start of the 5th stage and thus become the first island host in the history of the race.

This year’s race will take place from September 26 to October 1, 2023. The top sports event, which passes through the whole of Croatia through six stages of the competition, gathers world-class cyclists, UCI WorldTeams, UCI ProTeams and UCI Continental Team.

And this year, in a total of more than a thousand kilometers, which the cyclists will ride competing for the GC, spectators around the world will have the opportunity to see some of the most beautiful parts of our country, as the race is shown on six continents, in more than 190 countries. And there will be no shortage of quality in the sports section either – the arrival of several of the world’s best teams from the UCI WorldTeams are expected. Famous names have performed at the CRO Race so far, so last year the winner of the Tour de France 2022, Dane Jonas Vingegaard, narrowly missed out on victory. In this year’s edition, the audience is once again expecting the most famous names from the world of cycling, some of whom regularly compete in the world’s biggest competitions.

CRO Race turns Croatia into a sports arena because the race passes through everyday life corridors, entering cities, passing through villages, national parks, nature parks, showing the best of the sea and the continent. The race takes place on Croatian roads, it is open to the public, and close contact with the competitors is additional excitement for spectators. This is the specificity of such events, which, in addition to sporting excellence, bring another important value to Croatia – the promotion of the country as a desirable tourist destination, and its enormous potential in the sphere of cycling tourism is also emphasized.

That’s why the new moment of the CRO Race is important, which will go to the Croatian islands for the first time and send beautiful shots from Pag and Krk to the world. “Today’s signing of the agreement in cooperation with the new destination partner of the CRO Race, the City of Novalja, is proof of the growth and development of the race. At the same time, it shows how cities recognize this international competition as an excellent platform for their own promotion at the world level, and by accepting to host the race, they get valuable additional content for themselves and their guests. I am proud that the CRO Race is finally coming to our islands, which will further show how diverse Croatia really is in its beauty”, said Vladimir Miholjević, director of the CRO Race.

(Photo: CRO Race)

Along with Vladimir Miholjević, the agreement on cooperation was signed by the Mayor of the City of Novalja and the President of the Tourist Board of the City of Novalja, Ivan Dabo, and the Director of the Tourst Board of the City of Novalja, Marina Šćiran Rizner.

“Participation of the City of Novalja as the first island destination in the world-class cycling sports arena represents for us a great achievement in positioning sports through the tourist destinations. In the coming five-year period, our goal is to position Novalja as an active tourism destination through events like this, but also to encourage all participants to follow world tourism trends and participate in them. The inclusion of Novalja in a number of world tourist destinations that recognize the importance of partnership at top sports events coincides with the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the re-establishment of the local self-government unit and 70 years of organized tourism”, said the mayor of Novalja, Ivan Dabo.

(Photo: CRO Race)

“It is our honor to be the host of the third stage of this established world cycling race, and at the same time a strong promotional channel for our country and destination. I believe that through many years of work on encouraging active and sports tourism in Novalja, we have managed to create new contours and directions of tourist development, and that this race is the crown of joint action and strategic thinking of all community stakeholders”, emphasized the director of the TZ of the City of Novalja, Marina Šćiran Rizner.

This marked the start of preparations for CRO Race 2023, and according to the organizers’ announcements, the best edition so far is expected.