The race’s first stage will set out from Split, with 18 top teams lining up at the start, including seven WorldTeams, nine ProTeams, and two Continental Teams.
SPLIT, 21 September 2026 — The start of the 11th international CRO Race cycling race was announced today in Split, to be held from 22 to 27 September for the first time as part of the UCI ProSeries category. Some of the world’s best cyclists will battle for victory as they pedal nearly 1,000 kilometres across Croatia. This year’s CRO Race will be a true treat for viewers, as the race’s 11th edition will see the strongest roster in its history. UAE Team Emirates XRG, Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe, Lidl-Trek, Soudal Quick-Step, Bahrain Victorious, NSN Cycling Team and Uno-X Mobility are just some of the teams that will show why they’re at the very top of pro cycling while racing on Croatia’s roads.
A total of 18 teams will be participating in this year’s CRO Race — seven UCI WorldTeams, nine UCI ProTeams and two UCI Continental Teams. The fact that a whopping 12 teams that raced the 2026 Tour de France will be taking part proves the strength of this year’s CRO Race roster.
Six stages, nearly 1,000 kilometres—and only one winner
The first stage of the 11th CRO Race will start on 22 September in Split, with the finish line in Seget. The second stage will connect Biograd na Moru and Novalja, followed by the third stage from Krk to Labin, then Pula – Rijeka, Karlovac – Sveta Nedjelja, with the sixth and final stage starting in Samobor and ending in Zagreb.
At the press conference announcing the event, race director Vladimir Miholjević outlined the key highlights of this year’s race and its significance for Split, the starting point of the first stage: “This year’s race is being held within the ProSeries category for the first time, a fact we’re immensely proud of as it is a direct recognition and confirmation of the quality of our work, both in sporting and media terms. This is also a victory for all of those who have been following us from the start and without whom we couldn’t have created such a great story—from state institutions to counties, cities, municipalities, and sponsors. We couldn’t have asked for a better backdrop than Split for the race start, and we chose Seget as the finish line as its cycle tourism potential certainly makes it a worthy choice. Aside from being a sports event, CRO Race also brings on an emotional connection for locals, and the fact it passes by 120 points of interests gives tourists a direct motivation for coming to our country,” said Miholjević. Alongside him, Mayor of Split Tomislav Šuta also announced the race: “CRO Race is a major sporting event in every sense of the word, and the city of Split places the utmost importance on sport and athletes. By hosting this event, we want to present Split not only through sport, but through culture.”
Speaking to the significance of this great sporting event for Split and the rest of Croatia, Alijana Vukšić, director of the Split Tourist Board made special note of the laudable Kids CRO Race, whose first stage will also be held beneath Marjan hill. “The more than 70 children who took part in the seventh edition of Kids CRO Race today helped further brighten the atmosphere this spectacular race is bringing to our city. The event’s organisation has been fantastic, and the number of participants and fans supporting them once again shows how Split is a city that loves sport and knows how to welcome athletes. We’re proud to be part of this beautiful sporting story and we’re happy to be sending the world one of the most beautiful postcards from Croatia once again this year,” emphasised Alijana Vukšić. Speaking of the Kids CRO Race, we should also mention the winners of the children’s race in Split: in the girls’ 9-10 category, Vanja Kaurloto prevailed with a time of 2:10.58; in the girls’ 11-12 category, the fastest was Nikolina Gaće with a time of 2:11.18; among the boys in the 9-10 and 11–12 age groups, the fastest were Antonio Mamić (2:10.54) and Platon Stamatović (2:01.76), respectively.
Split at the start of an international cycling story
The starting line of this year’s CRO Race will be at Franjo Tuđman Square in Split, while the finish will be in Seget Donji in Dr. Nikola Lozovina Street. The entire route of the first stage will run through Split-Dalmatia County, whose natural beauty and cultural and historical heritage will be broadcast to viewers in more than 190 countries worldwide.
Host of the first stage’s finish line, head of Seget Municipality Ivo Sorić, also commented on the race. “This is a big event for us. Seget Donji is becoming the centre of the world for a moment, we’re part of a big story and we’re proud of that. We’ve used all available services and resources and taken every effort to make sure the race goes without a hitch, and I’d like to invite everyone to join us tomorrow in Seget. This is a great promotional event for our municipality as well, which has been growing year after year through various activities. This race is further proof of that,” Sorić said.
Top names in professional cycling on Croatia’s roads
Through its previous ten editions, Cro Race has hosted numerous big names in international cycling, including Mark Cavendish, Vincenzo Nibali, Primož Roglič, Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard, Adam Yates, Matej Mohorič, Elia Viviani, and Jonathan Milan. In addition to numerous prominent names in international cycling, two Croatian cyclists will also be taking part: Fran Miholjević from WorldTour team Bahrain Victorious, who will be making his sixth appearance, and Nicolas Gojković from Pogi Team Gusto Ljubljana, making his third appearance at the national tour.
“Many of this year’s stages are taking part on roads I train on every day, and I hope I’ll be able to delight the fans. We have a favourite for the general classification on our team, Antonio Tiberi, and in addition to our team’s goals in this race, I also have some personal ambitions. I’ll try to find an opportunity in every stage, but of course the fourth stage which ends in my home town of Rijeka is closest to my heart. We will also be climbing up Učka mountain during that stage, so it certainly won’t be easy for the sprinters’ teams to keep the race under control,” said 24-year-old Miholjević.
“Last year’s race was very good for me, and I did very well in the sprint finishes. For this year’s race I aimed to be in top form, because in addition to the European Championships next week, it’s the most important race of the season for me. As I’m coming from a smaller team, I think my best tactic will be to latch onto other teams’ sprint trains and try and find an opportunity. Paul Magnier, one of the best sprinters in the world, is coming to the race again this year, but we’ll try and surprise him,” said 22-year-old Gojković, who will once again have an opportunity to race through his home town of Zadar.
“Last year I raced in the national champion’s jersey, which gave me some special energy,” he added.
One of the most interesting names at this year’s CRO Race is Antonio Tiberi from Bahrain Victorious, a talented Italian rider who took 5th place in the GC and the white jersey for best young rider at the 2024 Giro d’Italia. “This is my first time in Croatia. I’ve trained well for the race and I’ll try to place as high as possible in the general classification,” stated Tiberi.
The beauty of Croatia in viewers’ homes around the world
For year, CRO Race has played an important role in promoting Croatian destinations and active tourism. The race connects various parts of Croatia, and international television broadcasting presents its cities, beautiful landscapes, and tourist offerings to viewers.
Once again, this year’s race is supported by the government of Croatia and the Ministry of Tourism and Sport, the Croatian Tourist Board, and Hrvatska elektroprivreda electric company, in addition to numerous destination partners and commercial sponsors.
Professional cyclists will set off in battle for victory on the first stage of the race’s 11th edition, and after six stages and nearly 1,000 kilometres, the end of CRO Race will be celebrated at Jarun lake in Zagreb on 27 September.
