CRO Race 2023

Croatia's biggest professional cycling race gets underway with riders like Matej Mohorič and Ethan Hayter chasing late-season goals

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CRO Race

Dates 26 Sept - 1 Oct
Race Length 966 kms
Race Category Elite Men

Published: September 26, 2023

CRO Race 2023 overview

The CRO Race, which takes place from September 25 to October 1, is one of the youngest stage races on the cycling calendar, having been revived in its current professional form in 2015. As the biggest pro race in Croatia, the race attracts a lot of home talent and riders from the surrounding nations, but also some big WorldTour teams and riders, and has been won by Vincenzo Nibali, Adam Yates and Matej Mohorič in recent years.

Though perhaps not known as a big cycling nation, Croatia provides some challenging terrain and hard climbing to decide the GC. Since moving to its late-season spot, the race has become a key end-of-season goal for riders looking for a redemptive win and is often a hard-fought week of racing.

This year’s CRO Race will feature defending champion Matej Mohorič (Bahrain-Victorious), European time trial champion Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) and American star Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) among its strong start list.

CRO Race 2023 key information

Dates: September 25-October 1, 2023

Country: Croatia

Category: 2.1

Editions: 7 (as of 2022)

First winner: Maciej Paterski

Most recent winner: Matej Mohorič

CRO Race 2023 route

This year’s CRO Race starts in Primošten in the south of Croatia, before moving north over six stages towards the final day in the capital Zagreb. The race takes in four hilly or climbing days, one with a summit finish, and two flat stages.

The route map for the 2023 CRO Race

CRO Race 2023 contenders

Who are the top riders at the CRO Race in 2023? Nestled in between the European Championships and the start of the Italian autumn Classics, many of the biggest names are elsewhere at the end of September, but there are still some strong riders heading to Croatia.

The biggest favourite will likely be defending champion Matej Mohorič, who is joined by a young but promising Bahrain-Victorious team as he looks to become the first rider to win back-to-back titles at the CRO Race. The mix of climbing and punchy stages should suit the Slovenian who recently won the Tour de Pologne.

Challenging Mohorič will be Ineos Grenadiers, who have a few options for this race. Ethan Hayter will likely be their key rider, who can win the flatter days, but they also have the returning Magnus Sheffield, who had a strong ride at the Tour of Britain and whose talents are well-suited to the mixture of stages in Croatia.

Other riders to look out for will be Antwan Tolhoek and his Lidl-Trek teammate Quinn Simmons, Jayco AlUla’s Norwegian talent Amund Grøndahl Jansen, and Damien Howson (Q36.5 Pro Cycling) who was climbing with the best at the Vuelta a Burgos last month. For the flatter days, aside from Hayter, Kelland O’Brien (Jayco AlUla), Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X) and Tobias Andresen (dsm-firmenich) will all be chasing a stage win.