🚴🇭🇷 | Hij is het nog altijd niet verleerd hoor. Alexander Kristoff pakt met zijn 37 jaar de openingsrit van de Cro Race. 🇳🇴 #CRORace 📺 Stream koers op HBO Max
Kristoff felt "a little sick" but won thanks in part to INEOS leadout: "I was looking for Viviani's wheel"
CyclingTuesday, 01 October 2024 at 11:30
Alexander Kristoff won the first stage of the CRO Race on Tuesday. The Uno-X Mobility Norwegian was the fastest in the bunch sprint, finally claiming a stage victory in the Croatian race after four podium finishes last year. A reason to celebrate, though Kristoff admitted he didn’t quite expect the win.
"I didn’t feel good today," Kristoff said, still catching his breath during the flash interview. "I’m a bit sick, a little under the weather with a cold. We didn’t really want to work today because I told the team I wasn’t feeling great. In the end, we did put one guy up front to help bring back the early break. We were actually lucky that there was a crash in the lead group. That made it easier to catch them."
"The finale was pretty stressful," the 37-year-old Norwegian continued. "There were some narrow roads with sharp turns. We managed to stay in a good position and kept the team together quite well. In the last kilometers, there were four of us. I knew we lacked a bit of firepower compared to teams like INEOS. They didn’t take the lead during the stage and have a lot of strong riders."
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"I was looking for Viviani and started my sprint earlier to surprise him," said Kristoff
With that in mind, Kristoff knew exactly what to do in the sprint. "In the last kilometer, I was looking for Viviani, and I managed to get on his wheel. I started my sprint a bit earlier than he did to surprise him. Fortunately, I was strong enough to hold on, as it was quite a long sprint with a bit of a headwind."
The climb in the middle of the stage was the main obstacle on Tuesday. "It was really tough, full throttle for me. Last year, I finished second in the general classification here, but I was probably in better shape then." Nevertheless, Kristoff is already satisfied. "At least I’ve got my victory now, as I finished second multiple times last year. So, I’m already happy with this race. Compared to last year, I’m in worse form, which will make it hard to aim for a good overall classification. But I’ll do my best to win more stages this week."
The calendar for the new cyclo-cross season is now online! Check it out here. Or check out our general calendars for the remainder of the season for the men and women's races.
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Latest Comments
- Van Aert is really handsome. He can influence me all day! Ditto for Philipsen. Why do you think many of us love cycling?: to see heroic attempts at climbing mountains at high altitudes or to watch speedsters sprint for the finish line or to watch a human being ride at break neck speed down a tricky descent? No, it's all about their lean physiques and muscular legs. (apologies for objectifying these dedicated and amazing athletes).BarwonHeadsUp25-10-2024
- It is unfortunate that the author can't feel the joy that Pogacar brings to the sport and his fans who are legion and I for one feel lucky to have watched such a memorable performance and historic season From the Strada until yesterday with multiple wins in stages in both tours and beyond dominance in the World's. He is proud to wear the Rainbow stripes, shows his leadership to protect his fellows and is as courteous and sportsman-like as the sport allows. He goes early to not have to respond to each attack as all the rest would make him do it. Any racer who could would do the same. Don't "grow tired" of greatness as it is always fleeting.ccrider13-10-2024
- What load of rubbish. Pog is likely a once in a generation cyclist, the like of which hasn't been seen since 'the Cannibal '. How many people were complaining that Merckx was making racing predictable? I remember this year's World RR as one of the most exciting I've watched. Mainly BECAUSE Pog was the favourite and launched what everyone thought (Pog included) was a suicidal attack with 80km to go. For the next 2 hours, I was on the edge of my seat thinking "this is too much, even for Pog". Maybe Zonnefeld prefers the snooze-fest that is a bunch sprint? Like most people I know, I can't watch two hours of the bunch riding very fast... I wait for the final 5km and watch just the sprint. In any event, most races are won from a sprint or lone break. What difference does it make who makes the lone break? Ultimately, the other contenders will have to figure out a way to beat Pog. Even if that means collaboration between teams. It's going to be an exciting few seasons, until the next Pog arrives on the scene. If this is boring, heaven knows what exciting looks like!Michael513-10-2024
- This is not a gravel race. UCI fail, from the surface they are on to team tactics. In what country was the first "gravel race" in what country is the most popular gravel race? Go with the race model that created the discipline.
Barnes127411-10-2024 - And don't forget he has now won 4 of the big 10 races (Grand tours, Monuments and WC/OG) in one year with a chance to make that 5. (5 has only been done once before)Joostmehrtens05-10-2024