The Tour of Croatia cycling race officially began in Osijek on Tuesday.
The international Tour of Croatia cycling race, which promotes the beauty of Croatia, has gathered 133 contestants from all over the world who will ride a total of 1,075 kilometers in six days. The race officially kicked off on Monday with the first stage from Osijek to Koprivnica, reports Gol.hr on April 17, 2018.
The race, which is broadcast in 187 countries worldwide, saw the demanding organization of police and volunteers.
“There are around 350 people organized in the logistics of the race. There are 120 people in the internal organization itself, another 100 people are involved in the production, meaning that a total of 600 people travel from one city to the next each day,” underlined the new technical director of the race, Luka Mišović.
Italian cyclist Niccolo Bonifazio (Bahrain) was the winner of the first stage of this year's fourth edition, which traveled from Osijek to Koprivnica in length of 227 kilometers.
In an interesting sprint finale in the center of Koprivnica, Bonifazio managed to defeat Andrea Guardini (Bardiani CSF) by less than half a wheel, while Romania's Eduard-Michael Grosu (Nippo Vini Fantini) took third place.
The first stage traveled in adverse weather conditions, with the rain stumbling cyclists almost throughout the entire run on Tuesday.
The second stage of the race will travel from Karlovac to Zadar in a length of 234.5 kilometers today, followed by Biokovo, Crikvenica, Učka and finally Zagreb in the following stages.
