Bahrain Victorious finished the 11th edition of Cro Race with Antonio Tiberi second overall and winner of the Mountain classification, closing a demanding six-stage race just four seconds behind overall winner Tobias Svarre. Tiberi’s GC campaign was built around his standout performance on Stage 3 to Labin, where he attacked on the decisive Skitača climb, took maximum KOM points and finished second. He then defended his position through the remaining stages, including another successful attack for the KOM points on Plešivica, to secure the green jersey. 

The result continues Bahrain Victorious’ remarkable consistency at Cro Race. Second overall is the team’s third consecutive GC podium: Edoardo Zambanini finished runner-up in 2025, while Fred Wright was third and Zambanini fourth in 2024. It also adds another chapter to a race where Bahrain Victorious has repeatedly played a leading role, from Jonathan Milan’s opening-stage win and Matej Mohorič’s overall victory in 2022, to Mohorič’s memorable queen-stage victory in Labin in 2023. 

For Tiberi, the second-place finish represents another strong GC result in a race where the team arrived specifically targeting the overall classification. The Italian showed his climbing strength and willingness to race aggressively rather than simply defend, while the team repeatedly controlled the race and positioned him for the decisive moments. Ultimately, the four-second gap to Svarre meant the overall victory was just out of reach, but second overall and the green jersey give Bahrain Victorious another strong finish in a race that has become one of the team’s most consistent late-season stages.

Reflecting on the race, Bahrain Victorious Sports Director Gorazd Štangelj said: “We came to Cro Race with clear GC ambitions, and on paper we were probably one of the strongest teams in the race. The problem is that when you are one of the strongest teams, there is also a certain responsibility on you. If you are not significantly stronger than the others and you try to gain time, everyone follows you. That is what happened here.

We tried at different moments and in different ways to gain time and positions. We were not the fastest in the bonus sprints, where the faster riders were able to take time, so at those moments we were in a position to defend. Then, when we tried to make the difference on the climbs, we were either brought back or the situation was blocked. Unfortunately, after Labin there was no other uphill finish where we could make another serious attempt.

In Labin, Antonio was one of the strongest riders on the decisive climb, but he was caught by the riders behind and eventually finished second in the sprint. In the end, that proved to be the decisive GC stage. The KOM jersey came as a by-product of the way we raced, not by accident, because Antonio earned the points by attacking and going for them, and then on Učka we had the opportunity to take a few more points and secure the jersey to the finish.

We had a few more top 10 stage results. Žak probably isn’t the happiest with how some of his sprints went, but that is part of the learning curve for a young rider. Edoardo also had a few opportunities, while overall every rider had a lot of work to do throughout the race, whether it was to gain time or maintain our position. I want to thank all the riders for the effort they put in during these six days. In the end, we can be happy with the result: second overall with Antonio and the KOM jersey is a solid outcome from the race.”

Antonio explained his approach: “I’m happy with this second place in the general classification and, of course, with winning the green KOM jersey. On the penultimate stage there was still a chance to try to change the overall standings, so I wanted to give it a go on the climb to Plešivica. I attacked there, but Svarre responded well and was able to stay with me, so in the end the GC positions remained unchanged.
Overall, I’m very happy, especially with the condition I showed throughout the race. Every day I was able to stay in contention and fight for the important positions, which is a very positive sign for me. I’m feeling very well at the moment, and that gives me confidence going into the final races of the season. Now I just want to keep this momentum and finish the season in the best possible way.”