Mohorič Claims Third Place in Opatija as CRO Race Enters Crucial Stage
Matej Mohorič of Bahrain Victorious secured a third-place finish in stage three of the 2023 CRO Race on Thursday. The team played a key role in controlling the race, with Fran Miholjević and young Italian Nicolò Buratti also putting up strong performances. Despite missing out on the win, Sports Director Michal Golaś expressed confidence in the team’s capabilities for the upcoming stages.
Golaś praised the team’s performance, stating, “I think the boys rode well: we stayed out of trouble all day and hit the final laps on the front.” He highlighted Mohorič’s strong position going into the final bend but acknowledged that they were overtaken by Nicolò Parisini who claimed the victory.
Looking ahead to the next stage, Golaś emphasized the team’s familiarity with the challenging terrain. “Both Matej and Fran have trained on these roads many times, and Matej finished third in Labin last year. So we know it’s super hard, 300m uphill over the cobbles,” he said.
Stage four of the CRO Race will be the highly anticipated “Queen Stage” featuring five categorized climbs and a 2km uphill finish in Labin. Golaś is optimistic about the team’s chances, stating, “with Rainer Kepplinger also in good shape, we have a few cards we can play.”
The race stage will commence at 11:50 tomorrow, covering a distance of 191km from Krk to Labin.
