CroRace 2024

Second stage win for Kristoff, Andresen reduces his gap to McNulty

KARLOVAC, 5 October 2024 — Norwegian Alexander Kristoff, member of team Uno-X Mobility, has won the fifth stage of the CRO Race, which ran a 100.5-kilometre course from Bosiljevo to Karlovac. Due to flooded roads around Ozalj, the fifth stage had to be shortened from 167 to 100.5 kilometres, and the start was in Bosiljevo.

Alexander Kristoff from Norway wins stage five // Photo: Sport-IT

Kristoff—who also won the first stage in Sinj—was first over the line in the bunch sprint in front of Israeli champion Oded Kogut (Israel-Premier Tech) in second and Italian Giovanni Lonardi (Polti-Kometa) in third.

“I’ve been struggling a bit the last days, but today I felt from the start I had more ‘normal’ legs. It was a short stage, usually I’m not super in that, but today the team put me in a really good position for the final kilometres. I will try to get a third victory tomorrow. It’s my last race of the season, so it would be best to finish on top,” said Kristoff.

American Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates) still holds the lead in the general classification, but his advantage over second-placed Dane Tobias Lund Andresen (dsm-firmenich-POSTNL) has been pared down from 22 seconds to 14; Italian Edoardo Zambanini (Bahrain Victorious) is in third, 28 seconds down on McNulty. In addition to second place in the GC, Andresen also leads in two categories—the blue sprinter’s jersey and the white jersey for best young rider. Dutchman Axel van der Tuuk (Metec-Solarwatt p/b Mantel) is still in the lead for the green king of the mountains jersey.

American Brandon McNulty still leading in general classification // Photo: Sport-IT

Just 10 kilometres out from the start, three riders attacked off the front: Dutchman Jordan Habets (Metec-Solarwatt p/b Mantel), Pole Tomasz Budzinski (Mazowsze Serce Polski), and Brit Charles Paige (TDT-Unibet). Pole Kaczper Maciejuk (Santic-Wibertech) and Croat Nicolas Gojkovic (Adria Mobil) tried to join them, but were unsuccessful.

The leading trio worked up a gap of 1’30 over the peloton, taking the points at the KOM on Zavlaka; Habets made it over the line first in front of Budzinski and Paige. This group, however, did not manage to hang onto their lead until the intermediate sprint in Josipdol. Team dsm-firmenich-PostNL, whose man Tobias Lund Andresen is currently in second place in the GC, decided to impose a fast tempo on the peloton today to try and help their leader snatch up bonus seconds to close his gap on GC leader Brandon McNulty from UAE Team Emirates.

At the intermediate sprint in Josipdol, McNulty’s teammate, Columbian Juan Sebastian Molano (UAE Team Emirates) took the three bonus seconds, while Andresen was awarded two bonus seconds for second. The remaining second for third place was picked up by Italian Mirco Maestri (Polti-Kometa). However, 20 kilometres later at the second intermediate sprint in Generalski Stol, Andresen succeeded in taking the maximum three bonus seconds; Molano was second, while Czech Pavel Bittner (dsm-firmenich-PostNL) was third.

Stage five finish in Karlovac // Photo: Sport-IT

Dutchman Axel van der Tuuk (Metec-Solarwatt p/b Mantel) consolidated his lead in the green jersey contest by winning the KOM in Carevo Selo, with a duo from dsm-firmenich-PostNL behind him—Frenchman Warren Barguil and Belgian Frank van den Broek. Anderson continued his ‘harvest’ of bonus points at the third intermediate sprint in Duga Resa, where he won another three bonus seconds. Brit Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious) won the two seconds for second place, with Dane Anders Foldager (Jayco-AlUla) taking the remaining second for third.

The sixth and final stage from Sveta Nedelja to Zagreb is slated for Sunday, at a length of 157.5 kilometres.

Cyclists were greeted at the finish line by: Martina Furdek-Hajdin, head of Karlovac County; Daniela Peris, head of the Karlovac Administrative Department for the Economy, Urban Development, and EU Funds, on behalf of the mayor of Karlovac; Lidija Bošnjak, mayor of Ozalj; and other guests. 

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