Prologue: Požarevac to Požarevac (2 km)
Late-season racing always brings logistical surprises, and the opening day in Požarevac proved no exception. Due to urban road closure constraints, the planned test against the clock was dramatically compressed down to an explosive 2 km street sprint, forcing riders to recalibrate their warm-ups on the rollers and treat every meter like an all-out drag race. A ripping pace defined the afternoon as the peloton pushed averages near 50 km/h across technical city asphalt and tight U-turns. Local powerhouse Ognjen Ilić of the Serbian National Team set the benchmark to claim the stage victory, but Team United Shipping immediately announced its presence at the sharp end. Márkó Tóth scorched across the tarmac to land a brilliant 3rd place, while András Gusztáv Pakot slotted cleanly into 6th, anchoring five TUS riders within the top twenty and setting an aggressive tone from the team car.
Márkó’s high-speed surprise
In the end, the course was only 2 km because for some reason they couldn’t properly close down the 6 km route. I knew I could do well in these flat-out 3-minute efforts. The turnaround went quite poorly, I definitely lost some time there, so I was really surprised to end up 3rd at the finish.
Lately, my form has been quite unpredictable toward the end of the season: sometimes I can really kick, and then the next day I just feel like cruising around on the bike. It is a real grab bag.
I like the profiles of the two road stages, positioning will matter a lot, and hopefully I can pull off a good sprint in the final, and then do the same on Sunday.
Máté’s eager engine
The prologue was good today. This short and flat course isn’t really my style, but I always try to push it as hard as I can.
Around this time last year, I wouldn’t have been keen on racing, but this time I specifically prepared for these three days and was really looking forward to it. Thanks to a couple of short enforced breaks during the season, I don’t feel tired yet; in fact, my preparation for this race went particularly well. The rest will feel nice after this.
I don’t know the exact plan yet for the next two stages, but despite the lack of climbs on the route, we expect hard racing. It will be a tricky, twisty circuit, so anything can happen, and we have to stay sharp. We have several good cards to play here, so we want to crown this season with a victory!
Stage 1: Kraljevo to Kraljevo (140 km)
Rolling out under crisp autumn skies around Kraljevo, the opening road stage promised tactical volatility across 140 km of winding circuits. With the sports management stressing the need to anticipate counter-moves rather than react from behind, the race detonated on lap three when András Gusztáv Pakot unleashed a vicious solo attack. Pakot spent a full lap and a half drilling the pace into a headwind before Samuele Zoccarato of MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort and Filip Řeha of ATT Investments bridged across. The three-man escape quickly established an iron grip over a disorganized bunch that traveled at an average speed of 43 km/h. Working with cold tactical composure, Pakot launched his sprint to capture a stunning stage victory for Team United Shipping, pulling on the leader’s yellow jersey as the chasing peloton crossed the line 90 seconds adrift.
András takes flight into yellow
I attacked at the start of the third lap, and nobody followed me. I hammered full gas for a lap and a half, then saw two guys chasing, so I waited for them. Zoccarato from MBH rotated properly: a bit slower, but at least he worked. The other guy from ATT didn’t do anything, but he said he wouldn’t sprint, so we let it be.
At first, I didn’t expect us to stay away because I was out there alone, and I questioned whether it had been a stupid move, but fortunately things turned out differently in the end.
Honestly, my motivation really returned toward the end of the season, especially after going through a tough patch, so I needed to let it all out. We are going to do everything we can to keep the yellow jersey; fortunately, I have a few seconds of an advantage, but it will still be very hard.
Stage 2: Kraljevo to Kraljevo (140 km)
The concluding stage unfolded as an all-out tactical siege over 140 km on the technical Kraljevo circuit. Aware that yellow was on the line, rival squads fired relentless attacks from kilometer zero, shredding the peloton and turning the day into an exhausting war of attrition. From the team car, the tactical guidance was simple: burn every match to protect the race lead. The squad rallied around Pakot, absorbing waves of accelerations until the collective workload took its physical toll in the closing laps. Up front, Filippo Magli of Bardiani CSF 7 Saber surged from a shattered leading group to take the stage win at an average speed of 43 km/h. Despite emptying the tank completely and conceding 58 seconds to the stage victor, Pakot fought tenaciously to the line, sealing a magnificent 3rd place on the final general classification podium.
András empties the tank for the podium
Unfortunately, we couldn’t keep the yellow jersey today. We spent too much energy early on, and as a result, we ran out of gas toward the finish. It wasn’t far off, but I had nothing left in me. The whole race was blown to pieces, turning out brutally difficult both tactically and physically. But the guys gave it everything; without them, maybe even third place wouldn’t have been possible in the end.
We aren’t disappointed, but yes, it could have gone better. I really enjoyed it, and I liked this circuit.
It will be good to get some rest now, as the other guys are also quite tired at the end of the season.
Rastko’s four bike changes on home soil
I’m quite satisfied with the performance; I was feeling really good racing on home roads.
I personally didn’t have much luck, changing bikes four times over these two days, but I still gave my absolute best today: especially getting back to the peloton and emptying the tank multiple times.
That’s why it was a shame that it didn’t pay off with a GC win…
This was the last race of the season, and I really enjoyed this year with the team. I’m satisfied with the program and my development.
Now I’ll take about two weeks off the bike to enjoy some other activities, and then I’ll start building for next season. I’m really looking forward to it!
Photo: Ivana Davidov (https://www.instagram.com/ivvisuals_/)
