The six stage, Cro Race ended with strong results in the overall for Team Bahrain Victorious, with a podium finish for Fred Wright  in the General Classification, while Edoardo Zambanini finished in 4th, just one second behind his teammate and 28 seconds behind the overall winner. The race was won by American Brandon McNulty (UAE), who secured and held onto the red jersey after the third stage.

From the first stage, which concluded inland from Split in the town of Sinj, Bahrain Victorious proved to be key contenders in this year’s Cro Race. In that stage, young Italian Bruttomesso competed in the final sprint, though two competitors from rival teams edged him out. In the second stage, the team worked together again, bringing Italian Nicoló Buratti to the finish line, where he placed fourth. Zambanini crossed shortly after, continuing his fight for the overall classification. The third stage was shortened to 89.5 kilometers due to strong winds and heavy rain, making it a critical stage for all cyclists to finish under tough conditions.

The queen stage came on day 4, with 3,100 meters of elevation gain through Učka, showed who was likely to stand on the podium in Zagreb. Just before the finish line, Zambanini and Wright were overtaken by rival Lund Tobias Andersen (UAE), leaving them in 2nd and 4th place for the stage, and 3rd and 4th in the overall standings. After the fifth stage, which was also shortened by 50 kilometers due to severe flooding, the standings remained unchanged.

The sixth and final stage took the cyclists from Sveta Nedelja to Zagreb, covering 157.5 kilometers with only one cat 3 climb. During this stage, Fred gained a crucial bonus second, which secured his 3rd place overall, while Edoardo finished 4th in the General Classification. That one second proved vital in defending the team’s position against competitors seeking bonus seconds. Both riders, Fred and Edoardo, deserved a spot on the podium. Overall, Team Bahrain Victorious executed all stages as planned, controlling the race throughout. While they came close to a stage win, it ultimately eluded them. Nevertheless, third and fourth in the General Classification is a strong result.

Fred Wright said: “It was nice for Zamba and me to be up there in the general classification. In the end, I managed to pick up a second so I finished in third place. We can be really proud of how we rode overall in this race. I spent the whole race collecting bonus seconds. Today we had to make sure no one could jump us for the podium in the final, especially in that last bonus sprint. In the end, it was a good race. It’s a shame we didn’t get a stage win, but we raced well and I’m happy to have found some good legs at the end of the season.”

Sports Director Borut Božič said: “The plan was to win a stage, but unfortunately, it didn’t work out. We were very close in the fourth stage. From the very beginning, we knew how important bonus seconds would be, so Fred took every chance he got. Zamba placed 4th, and Fred placed 3rd in the end, which is a very good result, but we can always do better.”