LABIN, 4 October 2024 — Dane Tobias Lund Andresen from team dsm-firmenich-PostNL has won the fourth stage of the CRO Race, which ran a 160.5-kilometre course from Krk to Labin.
In the final 50 metres, Andresen managed to get past two team Bahrain Victorious riders, Italian Edouard Zambanini, who took second, and Brit Fred Wright, who took fourth in the end after being pipped for third at the line by Norwegian Odd Christian Eiking (Uno-X Mobility).
“It’s amazing, this I really didn’t expect. The team put a lot of faith in me… Without their pacing on the climb and my teammates bringing me back, I would never have been there if it wasn’t for my team. I think this must have been the best day of my life physically. On the cobbles I did my own pace, I did the race last year so I knew what to expect. As far as the general classification is concerned, I think it’s difficult to beat McNulty after what he did yesterday, so I think a win is out of the picture. But a podium in the GC for me would be great, as I’ve never finished in the top 20 on a stage race before,” said 22-year old Andresen.
Andresen is the second Dane to win a stage at the CRO Race—first was Jonas Vingegaard, who also took stage victories two years ago in Labin and Primošten.
Two days before the end of the race, American Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates) still leads the general classification with 22 seconds over second-placed Andresen and 28 seconds over Zambanini in third. McNulty is also the leader in the blue jersey contest for best sprinter; the green climber’s jersey remains with Dutchman Axel van der Tuuk (Metec-Solarwatt p/b Mantel), and Andresen is leading in the white best young rider jersey contest.
A five-rider breakaway formed roughly 30 kilometres out, consisting of Australian Robert Stannard (Bahrain Victorious), Irishman Ryan Mullen (Red Bull-BORA-Hansgrohe), Spaniard Hugo Aznar (Kern Pharma), Norwegian Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility), and Tim Marsman (Metec-Solarwatt p/b Mantel).
This group worked up an advantage of roughly four minutes over the peloton, led by UAE Team Emirates riding for GC leader Brandon McNulty. The breakaway then managed to snatch up the bonus seconds at the two intermediate sprints in Malinska and Viškovo; Mullen was first in front of Stannard and Marsmann in Malinska, while Marsman won out over Leknessund and Stannard in Viškovo.
Shortly after the sprint in Viškovo, the most challenging climb of the entire race began—Učka. The breakaway’s advantage was quickly pared back to two minutes, and Mullen and Marsman were dropped.
By the top of Učka, the leading trio had managed to hold on to a 25-second lead over an eight-man chase group, among whom were McNulty, Italians Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers), Edoardo Zambanini (Bahrain Victorious) and Mattia Bais (Polti-Kometa), Frenchman Warren Barguil (dsm-firmenich-PostNL), Dane Freerik Wandahl (Red Bull-BORA-Hansgrohe), and Spaniards Pablo Castrillo and Jose Felix Parra (both from Kern Pharma). Stannard was first over the KOM at Učka in front of Leknessund and Aznar, while Zambanini was first over the line out of the chase.
Unfortunately, current world time trial champion Ganna crashed in a corner on the descent, thus falling out of the running for the stage win. The riders regrouped; Aznar was dropped, falling back to join a second chase group that had by then grown to 20 riders.
Three kilometres before the intermediate sprint in Nedeščina, a large group of around 50 riders caught up the remaining two breakaway riders, with three bonus seconds going to Brit Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious), two to Pole Marcin Budzinski (Mazowsze Serce Polski), and one to Brit Ben Turner (INEOS Grenadiers).
With the first pass over the finish line in Labin, green jersey points were awarded to Pole Piotr Pekala (Santic-Wibertech), Austrian Alexander Hajek (Red Bull-BORA-Hansgrohe), and Spanish rider David de la Cruz (Q36.5).
With just one 11.5-kilometre lap left, Turner tried a solo attack for the stage win, but was reeled in two kilometres before the finish.
At the finish line in Krk, the cyclists were sent off by: Suzana Badurina, senior associate for sports and technical culture at the Administrative Department of Culture, Sport, and Technical Culture, on behalf of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County; Darijo Vasilić, mayor of the city of Krk; Vlasta Mastrović from Kvarner Tourist Board; Majda Šale, director of the Island of Krk Tourist Board; Irena Kovačić, director of the City of Krk Tourist Board; Boris Latinović, director of the Dobrinj Tourist Board; Neven Komadina, head of Dobrinj Municipality; Daniel Manzoni, director of Malinska-Dubašnica Municipality Tourist Board; Robert Anton Kraljić, head of Malinska-Dubašnica Municipality; Andrea Orlić Čutul, director of the Omišalj Municipality Tourist Board; Ivana Topić, director of Baška Municipality Tourist Board; Nino Čutul, director of Vrbnik Municipality Tourist Board.
The cyclists were greeted at the finish line by: Tulio Demetlika, deputy county head of Istria County; Valter Glavičić, mayor of Labin; Nada Prodan Mraković dip.oec, head of the Istria County Administrative Department of Tourism; Marko Marković, marketing manager of the Istria Tourist Board; Silvija Kos Pifar on behalf of the Labin Tourist Board; Sandi Sindžić, on behalf of Valamar destination Rabac; and other guests.
The fifth stage will be held on Saturday, 5 October, running a 167-kilometre course from Ozalj to Karlovac
