One year ago, our team came for the first time in its history to the start of the CRO Race and ended up having an unforgettable week there, as Paul Magnier dominated the bunch sprints, taking four victories and the points jersey. The Frenchman will be back at the start now, hoping to add more wins to his 2026 palmares which so far includes ten victories, the most recent of which were scored at Okolo Slovenska.
The 22-year-old will be joined on Soudal Quick-Step’s roster for the 11th edition of the race by Steff Cras, Dries Van Gestel, Ilan Van Wilder - a top five finisher at the Tour de Suisse this season - Louis Vervaeke, and two riders coming from our feeder team: Joeri Schaper and Lars Vanden Heede.
Unlike last year, the parcours in Croatia will be much harder now. The race, starting from Split on Tuesday and concluding six days later in Zagreb, has around three chances for the sprinters, with the general classification set to be an affair between the climbers. This means that the grueling Ucka ascent, which they will tackle on the third stage, should once again play a decisive role in the final outcome.
