The GP Slovenian Istria featured a 165 km course starting from Izola, characterized by four large loops over the Gazon climb followed by smaller city circuits. Conditions remained fair at 14°C with intermittent sunshine and clouds. DS Dejan Percic noted that while there was no podium today, it was an enjoyable, dynamic race with serious competition throughout. While our riders remained aggressive, Nicolò Buratti of MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort ultimately took the victory. Tomas Přidal was the best finisher for the team, crossing the line in 20th place.
Máté’s assessment about today:
At the beginning of the race, I tried with several attacks, and I managed to break away quite early. We were seven in the front, and we went at a consistent, relatively high pace throughout, with a maximum lead of two and a half minutes. I spent about 100 km in the breakaway, but I felt very good the whole time: even after they caught us.
In the last big loop, the front of the peloton reached us, which included Erik, Michal, and Tomas. I tried to help them by reacting to attacks so they wouldn’t have to, and this was relatively successful. I also tried to be useful in positioning at the end. Erik attacked alone one kilometer before the finish, which I was very happy about, but unfortunately his strength ran out by the end. So in the end, Tomas became our best with a 20th place. I am very satisfied with my performance today, as I have never participated in such a long breakaway before, and I was able to help meaningfully at the end as well.
Michal’s thoughts on the slippery roads:
I crashed on the first lap, just before the downhill. It was a really slippery road, I knew it from last year. One guy crossed really fast in front of me and fell: I hit him and went down as well. It cost me a lot of energy to get back into the bunch. The peloton was very nervous, with constant hard breaking and a lot of crashes on that slippery descent.
Later, there was a big split on the hill and a front group of 30 riders formed, including Erik, Tomas, and me. We eventually caught Máté, who was in the early breakaway. However, the cooperation was poor, so we were absorbed back into the bunch.
By the small laps toward the end, I was already feeling like shit, so I told Erik to save his energy for the sprint. I knew I’d be too tired by the finish, and a sprint like that doesn’t suit me anyway. We kept neutralizing attacks with Přidal while Erik saved himself for the final.
I guess Erik wasn’t confident in his sprint, though, because he tried to attack with 2 km to go. The bunch caught him around 500 m out, and by then, Tomas and I were too dead to sprint.
As for the team, Máté did his job getting into the breakaway. Tomas, Erik, and I were meant to be in the mix at the finish, and we were there, but my shape isn’t quite there yet for better results. Unfortunately, Erik’s attack fell short today: I think if he had just sat in the peloton, he could have placed in the top ten. Still, we learned from it. It’s definitely a good sign that we had three riders at the front when the race was on fire.
After Rhodes, I feel much better. My form is coming along nicely, so I’m satisfied with how I feel, even if I’m not happy with the results. I’m glad I have two weeks now to prepare for the Tour of Mersin, where I hope to be in excellent shape after all the sickness and problems of the last few weeks.
Photo: Marcell Lippai