Dani Martínez (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) won an exciting fourth stage of the CRO Race on Friday, sprinting to victory from a group of five escapees which came together around 45km from the line.

Louis Vervaeke (Soudal-QuickStep) was second, while Domen Novak (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) took third, having briefly been dropped on a short, late climb.

Finishing in the reduced chasing bunch, 15 seconds behind the leaders, Tobias Svarre (Uno-X Mobility) continues to lead the general classification by four seconds, with two stages remaining.

The leading group worked well to hold off the bunch, which trailed by only 30 seconds for much of the final 20km. However, their victory was complicated by the arrival of Sam Maisonobe, the Cofidis rider escaping the peloton inside the final 5km, catching the leaders and instantly opening the sprint.

However, ultimately the Frenchman did little more than lead out the sprint from the break, with Martínez winning by almost two bike lengths.

For stage 4 the CRO Race tackled another lumpy day, this time racing 160km from Lual to Rijeka on the coast.

The opening 60km of the stage were frantic, with attack after attack coming, but no breakaway able to form. Only inside the final 100km on the approach to the day’s first classified climb, were Louis Vervaerke (Soudal-QuickStep), Lennard Kämna (Lidl-Trek), Gorka Sorarrain (Caja-Rural-Seguros RGA), Julius Johansen (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Samuel Boardman (Modern Adventure) and Mihael Štajnar (Pogi Team Gusto Ljubljana) able to build a gap.

By the time they reached the bottom of the main climb to Učka, they led by around two minutes, though Vervaeke had slipped backwards.

The climb was a beast, its 10.3km averaging at 7.7% gradient, with long sections well over 10%, and it duly took its toll. The breakaway split, leaving Kämna to ride on alone, Soraarrain trying to follow.

By the time Kämna crested the top, the peloton were only 50 seconds behind, but with over 50km remaining that lead was allowed to grow, and as it approached 1:50, three chasers went clear. Domen Novak (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Dani Martînez (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and Vervaerke quickly gained ground, and when Aimé De Gendt (Pinarello-Q36.5) joined them, there was panic in the Uno-X Mobility squad as Tobias Sverre’s GC lead came under threat.

Sensing a threat to Antonio Tiberi’s second place overall, Bahrain Victorious came to assist, and when they were joined by Caja Rural-Seguros RGA, the deficit finally stabilised at one minute, with Kämna still 35 seconds ahead.

With 15km left to race, Kämna was caught and dropped by the four-man chasing group, and with even more teams assisting the chase, the reduced peloton was little more than 30 seconds behind. But with much of the remaining distance on a technical descent, they maintained their advantage until Martínez attacked 6km from the line.

That move saw Novak briefly dropped, but he reappeared with 1,500m to go before they were joined by Maisonobe for the final few hundred metres and the last dash for the line unfolded, allowing Martínez to claim his first victory since two stages of the Volta ao Algarve back in February 2024.

Results

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Position

Rider (Country) Team

Time Gap

1

Daniel Felipe Martinez Poveda (Col) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe

3:43:19

2

Louis Vervaeke (Bel) Soudal-QuickStep

Row 1 – Cell 2

3

Domen Novak (Slo) UAE Team Emirates-XRG

Row 2 – Cell 2

4

Aime De Gendt (Bel) Pinarello-Q36.5

Row 3 – Cell 2

5

Sam Maisonobe (Fra) Cofidis

Row 4 – Cell 2

6

Ilan Van Wilder (Bel) Soudal-QuickStep

00:00:15

7

Edoardo Zambanini (Ita) Bahrain Victorious

Row 6 – Cell 2

8

Thomas Pesenti (Ita) Polti-VisitMalta

Row 7 – Cell 2

9

Dario Giuliano (Fra) Polti-VisitMalta

Row 8 – Cell 2

10

Joseph Pidcock (GBr) Pinarello-Q36.5

Row 9 – Cell 2

11

Joel Nicolau Beltran (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA

Row 10 – Cell 2

12

Antonio Tiberi (Ita) Bahrain Victorious

Row 11 – Cell 2

13

Tim Wellens (Bel) UAE Team Emirates-XRG

Row 12 – Cell 2

14

Alex Molenaar (Ned) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA

Row 13 – Cell 2

15

Xandro Meurisse (Bel) Pinarello-Q36.5

Row 14 – Cell 2

16

Lorenzo Nespoli (Ita) MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort

Row 15 – Cell 2

17

Gotzon Martin Sanz (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi

Row 16 – Cell 2

18

Emil Herzog (Ger) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe

Row 17 – Cell 2

19

Dylan Teuns (Bel) Cofidis

Row 18 – Cell 2

20

Tobias Svarre (Den) Uno-X Mobility

Row 19 – Cell 2

21

Johannes Kulset (Nor) Uno-X Mobility

Row 20 – Cell 2

22

Sjoerd Bax (Ned) Pinarello-Q36.5

Row 21 – Cell 2

23

Clement Izquierdo (Fra) Cofidis

Row 22 – Cell 2

24

Alex Tolio (Ita) Bardiani-CSF 7 Saber

Row 23 – Cell 2

25

Márton Dina (Hun) MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort

Row 24 – Cell 2

26

Fran Miholjević (Cro) Bahrain Victorious

Row 25 – Cell 2

27

Matteo Ambrosini (Ita) MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort

Row 26 – Cell 2

28

Jon Agirre Egaña (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi

Row 27 – Cell 2

29

Max Van Der Meulen (Ned) Bahrain Victorious

Row 28 – Cell 2

30

Jose Felix Parra Cuerda (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA

Row 29 – Cell 2

31

Adrien Boichis (Fra) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe

Row 30 – Cell 2

32

Steff Cras (Bel) Soudal-QuickStep

Row 31 – Cell 2

33

Francisco Muñoz Llana (Spa) Polti-VisitMalta

Row 32 – Cell 2

34

Mikel Bizkarra Etxegibel (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi

Row 33 – Cell 2

35

Gorka Sorarrain Agirrezabala (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA

00:00:53

36

Lennard Kämna (Ger) Lidl-Trek

Row 35 – Cell 2

37

Txomin Juaristi Arrieta (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi

00:02:12

38

Alexandre Balmer (Swi) Solution Tech Nippo Rali

00:04:53

39

Carl-Frederik Bévort (Den) Uno-X Mobility

00:05:17

40

Storm Ingebrigtsen (Nor) Uno-X Mobility

Row 39 – Cell 2

41

Dario Igor Belletta (Ita) Polti-VisitMalta

Row 40 – Cell 2

42

Jon Pritržnik (Slo) Pogi Team Gusto Ljubljana

Row 41 – Cell 2

43

Sergi Darder Gari (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA

Row 42 – Cell 2

44

Roei Edinger (Isr) NSN Cycling Team

Row 43 – Cell 2

45

Roberto González (Pan) Solution Tech Nippo Rali

Row 44 – Cell 2

46

Edward Theuns (Bel) Lidl-Trek

Row 45 – Cell 2

47

Nicolas Gojković (Cro) Pogi Team Gusto Ljubljana

Row 46 – Cell 2

48

Andrea Bessega (Ita) Lidl-Trek

Row 47 – Cell 2

49

Igor Sęk (Pol) Wibatech Lubelskie Perła Polski

Row 48 – Cell 2

50

Rui Filipe Alves Oliveira (Por) UAE Team Emirates-XRG

Row 49 – Cell 2

51

Francisco Joel Peñuela Sandoval (Ven) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA

Row 50 – Cell 2

52

Zachary Marriage (Aus) NSN Cycling Team

Row 51 – Cell 2

53

Matteo Turconi (Ita) Bardiani-CSF 7 Saber

Row 52 – Cell 2

54

Dries Van Gestel (Bel) Soudal-QuickStep

Row 53 – Cell 2

55

Nils Politt (Ger) UAE Team Emirates-XRG

Row 54 – Cell 2

56

Márk Valent (Hun) MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort

Row 55 – Cell 2

57

Samuel Boardman (USA) Modern Adventure

Row 56 – Cell 2

58

Edoardo Zamperini (Ita) Cofidis

Row 57 – Cell 2

59

Thomas Oliver Stockwell (GBr) Bahrain Victorious

Row 58 – Cell 2

60

Luca Giaimi (Ita) UAE Team Emirates-XRG

Row 59 – Cell 2

61

Damien Howson (Aus) Pinarello-Q36.5

Row 60 – Cell 2

62

Fernando Barcelo Aragon (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA

Row 61 – Cell 2

63

Otto Vergaerde (Bel) Lidl-Trek

Row 62 – Cell 2

64

Tim Torn Teutenberg (Ger) Lidl-Trek

Row 63 – Cell 2

65

Lucas Joseph Towers (GBr) Modern Adventure

Row 64 – Cell 2

66

Manuele Tarozzi (Ita) Bardiani-CSF 7 Saber

Row 65 – Cell 2

67

Valentin Ferron (Fra) Cofidis

Row 66 – Cell 2

68

Mihael Štajnar (Slo) Pogi Team Gusto Ljubljana

Row 67 – Cell 2

69

Nicolo’ Buratti (Ita) MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort

Row 68 – Cell 2

70

Matis Louvel (Fra) NSN Cycling Team

Row 69 – Cell 2

71

Julius Johansen (Den) UAE Team Emirates-XRG

00:05:35