The 10th edition of the Cro Race proved a successful one for our team, marked by consistency, teamwork, and impressive performances throughout. Edoardo Zambanini finished second stages two & four, which secured him runner-up spot overall, while the youngest member of the team, Jakob Omrzel, claimed the white jersey as the best under-23 rider. To round off an excellent six days, the team also won the Best Team classification.

Sports Director Aart Vierhouten reflected: “We came here aiming for a top-three finish in the general classification and a stage win. We set ambitious goals but arrived with a well-balanced squad, a mix of young talents and experience, with Damiano providing vital leadership.
Stage 1 was a sprint opportunity for Zak, who finished seventh but missed a teammate’s support in the final kilometre. Stage 2 was shortened and finished uphill, so we backed Edoardo, who performs better on those gradients. The team executed the plan perfectly, Zamba finished second and took six bonus seconds, moving ahead of the other GC riders.
On Stage 3 we tried something different, launching an attack with 12km remaining, but the peloton was alert and closed everything down, so we didn’t have the right position for the sprint. We refocused on Stage 4, the Queen stage and the toughest of the race. The team worked brilliantly, keeping both Jakob and Edoardo in the front group. McNulty was simply too strong, but Edoardo rode superbly to finish second again, which also lifted him to second overall. Those bonus seconds from Stage 2 proved crucial. Jakob finished sixth on the day, seventh overall, and took the white jersey, while we also moved into the lead in the team classification.
Stage 5 featured a demanding finale, and with 15km to go we went all out to protect the GC. Edoardo once again delivered a strong sprint for fourth place, Jakob finished twelfth, and all positions remained unchanged. Today’s final stage was raced in heavy rain, but thanks to our excellent Alé kit, the riders stayed warm. We planned for Zak to contest the sprint, but a crash in front of him in the final 200 metres cost him several places.
All in all, we’re very satisfied, second in the general classification behind a rider of Brandon McNulty’s calibre is a result to be proud of. It’s a big step forward for Edoardo’s career, and Jakob has shown he’s a rider for the future. The whole team worked exceptionally well all week, and we’re very happy with the outcome.”

Zambanini also rode here in 2024, and the 24 year old Italian certainly enjoyed achieving his best ever GC result in a stage race: “It’s been a fantastic week, six days of racing that we all really enjoyed. I have to thank my teammates; they were completely committed to our shared goal. Personally, it’s been a great experience. The weather was good all week except today, but that didn’t dampen our spirits. I’m pleased with the result, for myself, for Jakob, and for the team. Now we need to keep working hard and aim to be even better.”