This is Svarre’s first win in his pro career, and it comes in his first season as a professional cyclist. His victory has also put him in the lead of the CRO Race general classification.
Dane Tobias Svarre (Uno-X Mobility) has won the third stage of CRO Race from Krk to Labin over a distance of 174.5 kilometres. In a dramatic finish, 22-year-old Svarre outwitted Italian rider Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious), with Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) rounding out the podium in third. Tiberi and Svarre crossed the line at the same time.
This is Svarre’s first win in his pro career, and it comes in his first season as a professional cyclist. His victory has also put him in the lead of the CRO Race general classification.
The third stage started with a breakaway that formed almost immediately after the start in Krk. Second stage winner Dane Carl-Frederik Bevort (Uno-X Mobility) attacked, and he was joined by German rider Tim Torn Teutenberg (Lidl-Trek) and Dutchman Axel van der Tuuk (Euskaltel-Euskadi).
The trio quickly started working well together, building up a gap of nearly seven minutes over the peloton, which was led by riders from UAE TEAM Emirates-XRG.
First over the line at the intermediate sprint in Malinska was Befort, with Teutenberg and Van der Tuuk following. The lineup was different at the second intermediate sprint in Lovran—Van der Tuuk crossed first ahead of Teutenberg and Bevort.
The lead group’s gap began to shrink at the day’s first climb up Sveta Jelena, where the maximum number of points was taken by Teutenberg ahead of Bevort and Van der Tuuk. Bahrain Victorious also got involved in dictating the pace in the peloton.
At the final intermediate sprint in Štrmac, Bevort was first over the line ahead of Teutenberg and Van der Tuuk; on the first pass over the finish line in Labin, which was also a categorised climb, Teutenberg was first across. Bevort and Van der Tuuk followed, while the peloton, led by Croatian national team rider Fran Miholjević (Bahrain Victorious), was 2:15 behind.
It was at this point in the stage that the situation took a turn. On the demanding climb up Skitač, the breakaway trio was reeled in, and then it was Tiberi’s turn to attack. The Italian managed to work up a five second gap ahead of Svarre by the top, with Wellens 12 seconds behind.
Tiberi’s lead grew to nearly 20 seconds at one point, but Wellens set off in chase. Svarre joined him in the final stretch, and the two of them caught Tiberi up three kilometres before the finish line.
A tactical finish ensued in which Svarre displayed the most patience. In the final ten kilometres, he had participated in the chase on Tiberi, but he let Wellens do most of the heavy lifting.
Everything was decided in the final 100 metres. Tiberi tried to attack, but Svarre responded, having saved up enough power for the final sprint, and crossed the line first, a wheel’s length ahead of the Italian rider.
“I’m speechless. This is my first professional season and I managed this kind of win. Unbelievable! When Tiberi attacked 100 metres before the line, I thought, ‘He’s really fast!’ But when I saw that I was ahead 50 metres before the line, I was really proud. We’ll try to defend the jersey tomorrow during the climb to Učka,” Svarre said after his win.
His victory in Labin has also put him in the lead in the general classification. Svarre now has a four second lead over Tiberi, with Wellens in third at 12 seconds behind. The Dane is also leading the best young rider’s classification.
The leaders of the remaining classifications have changed as well. Bevort now tops the points classification for the blue jersey, while Tiberi is the new leader in the green jersey classification for best climber.
Svarre’s win means team Uno-X Mobility’s winning streak at this year’s CRO Race continues. His teammate and compatriot Bevort won the second stage from Biograd na Moru to Novalja.
The fourth stage is scheduled for Friday, to be ridden from Pula to Rijeka. A 160 kilometre course awaits the riders, including the demanding climb up Učka, where Svarre will try to defend his leading position.
At the starting line of the third stage in Krk, the cyclists were seen off by Krk mayor Darijo Vasilić, Kvarner Tourist Board director Marijana Kalčić, and Krk Island Tourist Board director Petar Škarpa. They were greeted at the finish line in Labin by mayor Donald Blašković, Labin Tourist Board director Astrid Glavičić, and Istria County Tourist Board representative Vedran Crnobi.
This year’s 11th edition of CRO Race began on 22 September in Split and ends on 27 September with a grand finale in Zagreb. In addition to the sporting aspect, this year’s race also plays an important promotional role, as television broadcasts and photos from the stages will present Croatia’s cities, natural and cultural heritage to viewers worldwide. Since its first edition, CRO Race has been supported by the Croatian government, the Ministry of Tourism and Sport, the Croatian Tourist Board, the city of Zagreb, and numerous other cities and counties hosting the stages.
