The Umag Classic took place on March 4, 2026, marking the start of the racing series on the Istrian peninsula. The 142 kilometer course consisted of rolling terrain and several inland laps through Brtonigla and Petrovija before returning to the coastline. Conditions remained cool and cloudy with temperatures around 12 degrees Celsius throughout the event.
The team strategy focused on a sprint finish for Erik Fetter. The finale was highly technical, featuring six roundabouts within the final two kilometers. While Luca suffered a crash 15 kilometers from the finish, he was able to rejoin the peloton. Máté and Zsombor monitored early breakaway attempts, though few moves gained significant ground. Fetter maintained his position in the top 10 through the final corners and secured third place on the podium.
András Pakot on his first race with the team:
“Well, my winter went okay-ish. I managed to get in some very high-quality training and mileage at the training camp to prepare. The team is great; I feel very good here as we can discuss everything honestly and the atmosphere is always excellent. Today’s performance was really down to teamwork and good positioning. The final kilometers were chaotic, so you had to keep your wits about you and stay in a good position to avoid crashing. There were many roundabouts and it was dangerous, I was actually a bit scared, but Erik handled it very intelligently and we are very proud of him. I’m also glad I didn’t finish last. We are looking forward to the next race on Saturday and the goal is a similar result. Today was almost perfect, though it was a bit cold. I was covering moves at the beginning until the third lap, but I didn’t make the break; it wasn’t a problem though because we knew they wouldn’t make it to the finish anyway. At the end, I lacked some power, so I need to work on that a bit.”
Erik about his podium finish:
“I was confident in a standout result from the start. My winter preparation went very well, and we did great work with the guys at the training camp in Spain. I wanted to test that right away in the first race. There was a very high pace all day with constant attacks and essentially no control. It was very hectic, but fortunately, the team complemented each other well, and in the end, it resulted in a podium. Istrian races have always been in my program. Ever since I’ve been with the team, the start of the season has been going this well. The atmosphere and the team cohesion might be the recipe. Everyone raced well today; most of the guys were watching the attacks and tried to stay at the front as long as possible, even in the final lap. András and I tried to position ourselves as best as possible for the finale. He moved very well too, especially considering it was his first race day with the team.”
Photo: János Pelikán