A total of 135 riders from twenty teams lined up at the start of this year’s tenth edition of CRO Race, setting off from Split’s waterfront towards the finish line of the first stage in Sinj, the first of six stages spanning nearly a thousand kilometres across Croatia. The grand finale of the race is scheduled for 5 October in Zagreb
Sinj, 30 September 2025 — Frenchman Paul Magnier from team Soudal Quick-Step has justified his position as a race favourite by winning the first stage of the tenth edition of the CRO Race cycling race, a 162.5-kilometre stage from Split to Sinj. Magnier took advantage of his teammates’ hard work in the run up to the stage finish, having been placed in the ideal position for the final 200 metres. He crossed the line ahead of two national champions—second-placed Dutch champion Danny van Poppel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and third-placed Israeli champion Oded Kogut (Israel-Premier Tech). This win is the eleventh this year for Magnier, who is currently enjoying the best season of his career. He will be wearing the red GC leader’s jersey on stage two from Biograd na Moru to Novalja on Wednesday. Magnier also leads in the points classification for the blue jersey, while the green jersey for best climber goes to Czech Micha Schuran (United Shipping).After his win, Magnier gave special praise to his teammate Belgian Dries Van Gestel. “Van Gestel and I did a great job in Slovakia as well. I have to thank the rest of the team for their effort too. This is my first time in Croatia and I’m thrilled, I even managed to take a swim in the beautiful sea yesterday,” said Magnier, who earlier this month won the GP Fourmiers one-day race in France and four out of five stages of the Race through Slovakia.
Second stage from Biograd na Moru to Novalja
A total of 135 riders from twenty teams lined up at the start of this year’s tenth edition of CRO Race, setting off from Split’s waterfront towards the finish line of the first stage in Sinj. Just after the start in Split, a seven-rider breakaway group formed, consisting of Spaniards Javier Ibanez (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) and Diego Uriarte (Kern Pharma), Slovenian Jaka Špoljar (Adria Mobil), Dutchman Casper van der Woude (Metec-Solarwatt p/b Mantel), Czech Michal Schuran (United Shipping), Pole Mateusz Kostanski (Voster ATS), and Croat Ian Peran (Pogi Team Gusto Ljubljana). They had quickly racked up a four-minute gap on the peloton; at the first intermediate sprint in Omiš, three bonus points went to Uriarte, two to Ibanez, and one to Špoljar. The hardest climb of the day followed at Gata, where Špoljar lost contact with the race leaders; first across the line at the climb was Schuran in front of Van der Woude and Kostanski. At the second intermediate sprint in Trilj, three points again went to Uriarte, two to Ibanez, and the remaining one to Kostanski. The breakaway’s gap topped out at four and a half minutes, and Uriarte and Ibanez continued scooping up the bonus points at the third intermediate sprint in Sinj, with the last point going to Peran. On the way from Sinj to Lake Peruća, teams Arkea-B&B hotels, Soudal-QuickStep, and INEOS Grenadiers ramped up the pace at the front of the peloton, and the gap to the breakaway began to shrink; at 40 kilometres to go, it had fallen to just two and a half minutes. On the second classified climb at Marunice, Peran was distanced from the breakaway, while Schuran again took the maximum point ahead of Van der Woude and Ibanez, thus ensuring he would be wearing the green jersey for the second stage. The breakaway were reeled in with six kilometers to go, and preparations for the final sprint began. The second stage will be held on Wednesday 1 October from Biograd na Moru to Novalja at a length of 119.5 kilometres.
Celebrations for the first race day
This spectacular race across six stages at a total of nearly 1,000 kilometres is the most beautiful postcard of Croatia, as the competition will be broadcast in 190 countries across the world. The atmosphere on the first day of the race was thus appropriately jubilant. High-ranking dignitaries attended to address the crowds at the start of stage one: Marko Žaja, special advisor to Minister of Tourism and Sport Tonči Glavina, Deputy Prefect of Split-Dalmatia County Stipe Čogelja, Deputy Mayor of Split Ivo Bilić, and the directors of the Tourist Boards of Split-Dalmatia County and the city of Split, Ivana Vladović and Alijana Vukšić. The mood at the finish line was similar, where mayor of Sinj Miro Bulj, his deputy Denis Bobeta, and director of Sinj Tourist Board Monika Vrgoč all took part in the winners’ ceremony.
Further information about CRO Race
This year’s edition of CRO Race will be held from 30 September to 5 October across nearly 1,000 kilometres throughout Croatia. The race will bring together riders from twenty teams from all three Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) categories: UCI WorldTeams, UCI ProTeams, and UCI Continental Teams. Viewers will be able to watch the race live on HRT and Eurosport, and it will be broadcast in 190 nations across the world. In addition to promoting the sport of cycling, CRO Race advertises Croatia as a beautiful tourist destination, bringing shots of Croatia’s wealth of cultural and natural heritage right into the homes of viewers across the world. Since its first edition, CRO Race has been supported by the highest government institutions in Croatia. This year, support comes from the Croatian government,
the Ministry of Tourism and Sport, the Croatian Tourist Board, the city of Zagreb, and numerous other cities and counties hosting stage starts or finishes or through which the race will be passing. In addition to Hrvatska elektroprivreda electricity company as one of the main sponsors, the project includes numerous other sponsors and partners: Valamar Riviera, Škoda, Carwiz, Keindl Sport, Alé, Essperto, Elite, Vinistra, Bilić-Erić, Jadrolinija, Europlakat, Kraš, the Croatian Olympic Committee, the Croatian Cycling Union, Zagreb Holding, the Ministry of the Interior, and media an dproduction partners Croatian Radiotelevision, Hanza media, Sportske novosti, Amaury Sport Organisation, Croatel, NEP.
