Brandon McNulty (UAE Emirates) put in a dominant effort to win the fourth stage of the 10th edition of CRO Race, from Krk to Labin at a length of 190.5 kilometres, putting the American on a solid path to defend his GC title from last year. McNulty crossed the line in Labin 1:40 ahead of second-placed Italian Edoardo Zambanini (Bahrain Victorious) and third-placed Pole Michal Kwiatkowski (INEOS Grenadiers); with two days left to the end of the race, he has an advantage of 1:39 over Zambanini in second and 1:49 over Kwiatkowski in third.
McNulty made his decisive move on the climb at Skitač—with the help of his teammate and Belgian champion Tim Wellens, he attacked straight from the start of the 3.5-kilometre, 11% climb. By the top, he had worked up a gap of nearly 50 seconds over his nearest contenders, exceptionally talented 19-year-old Slovenian Jakob Omrzel (Bahrain Victorious) and Filippo Zana (Jayco-AlUla). The top of the climb was 21 kilometres from the finish line, and even though he was solo against a group of around 15 riders, McNulty’s gap only grew on the descent and the flat section into the finish. “We knew the last climb was super steep and that’s why I gave it my all. I was suffering quite a bit by the end of the race, but I managed to hang in there. Since the rest of this year’s race is easier than last year, I’m pretty sure I’ll stay in the lead. I think I’ll keep coming to Croatia,” said McNulty, who’s brilliant ride on Friday also put him in the green best climber’s jersey; the blue jersey for the points classification remains in the hands of Frenchman Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step), who won the first three stages.
The first attack on the stage took place 30 kilometres out, when four riders—Frenchman Swann Gloux (Arkea-B&B Hotels), Spaniard Javier Ibanez (Caja Rural-RGA Seguros), Dutchman Axel van der Tuuk (Metec-Solarwatt p/b Mantel), and Hungarian Zsombor Palumby (United Shipping)—jumped off the front of the peloton. They racked up a maximum gap of two minutes, and were first to cross the two intermediate sprints in the first half of the stage. Ibanez was first in front of Gloux and Van der Tuuk at the sprint in Malinska, with Fetter besting Ibanez and Gloux at Viškovo.
The breakaway collapsed during the climb to Poklon on Učka Mountain, but Gloux nevertheless managed to secure the maximum 20 points in the green jersey contest for best climber. Ibanez was second across at Poklon, with the peloton behind lead by Belgian Rune Herregodts (UAE Emirates). Although team Bahrain Victorious ramped up the tempo of the lead group just before the intermediate sprint in Kršan to put their leader Italian Edoardo Zambanini in a good position to win three bonus seconds, defending champion American Brandon McNulty (UAE Emirates) beat Zambanini to the line at Kršan. Zambanini’s second-place sprint won him two bonus seconds, while third place and the remaining bonus second went to Dutchman Danny van Poppel (Red Bull-BORA-Hansgrohe). At the first pass across the line in Labin—also a categorised climb—the lead group numbered roughly 40 riders, with Belgian Floris Van Tricht (Israel-Premier Tech) first across ahead of Dutchman Pepijn Reinderink (Soudal Quick-Step) and Spaniard Francisco Muñoz (Polti VisitMalta). The fifth stage will take place on Saturday from Karlovac to Sveta Nedjelja at a length of 150.5 kilometres.
At the start of the fourth stage on Krk, the crowds were addressed by distinguished guests mayor of Krk Dario Vasilić, director of Krk Tourist Board Ivana Kovačić, director of Krk Island Tourist Board Majda Šale, and Vlasta Mastrović from Kvarner Tourist Board. Among those guests in the public were also Omišalj Tourist Board director Andrea Orlić Čutul, Vrbnik Tourist Board director Nino Čutul, members of Krk Tourist Board’s Tourist Council Milan Žužić and Damir Balenović, Ivana Topić from Baška Tourist Board, and Branko Karabatić from Punat Tourist Board. The atmosphere at the finish line in Labin was festive, with mayor of Labin Donald Blašković participating in the announcement of the stage winners along with Labin Tourist Board director Astrid Glavičić, Raša Municipality Tourist Board director Ivana Griparić, Valamar’s Rabac destination director Sandi Sinožić, and Vinistra Association director Ivan Marić along with other association members.
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.
