Lošinj played host to a short but fiercely contested Stage 3; on Friday, 19 April. The lack of kilometres in which to make a significant difference did not dissuade ORBEA Leatt Speed Company or Klimatiza Toteemi Cabberty 2 from going on the offensive, when they saw a chink in Metallurgica Veneta MTB Pro Team 1’s armour. It was Miguel Munoz and Luis Martínez who earned stage victory on the day and will start the final stage, on Saturday, with 2 minutes and 25 seconds to regain off the Italians in yellow. Janina Wust and Rosa van Doorn, of the BUFF MEGAMO Women team, were put under pressure by Monica Calderon and Meritxell Figueras, who appear to be gaining in strength and confidence every day, but once gain emerged victorious. 

 

Stage 3 featured a compact 39 kilometre course. The action-packed route included 900 metres of climbing, coming largely in two steep climbs over the spine of the island past the church of St. Ivan. Fast and flat runs, along the coast, from- and back- to Mali Lošinj made the it unique in the 4Islands MTB Croatia experience, as the stage was the only one with a significant amount of level kilometres. This sea-side run to the finish helped make for an exciting finale to the day with both the UCI Men’s and Women’s races coming down to the closing kilometres. 

 

For the BUFF MEGAMO Women the race back to Mali Lošinj nearly cost them the stage victory. Having worked to establish a 30 second buffer over CANNONDALE ISB SPORT on the technical trails the bike path nearly proved their undoing on the day. Calderon and Figueras had the bit between their teeth when they reached the level track. With Wust and Van Doorn in sight ahead of them the Colombian/Spanish combination worked to reel in the Swiss/Dutch team. 

 

CANNONDALE ISB SPORT were to run out of road in which to make the catch, but they did keep the UCI Women’s race alive heading into the final stage. “We’re happy with how today unfolded, especially as we were able to take the fight to BUFF MEGAMO for more of the stage today,” Calderon said. “But we can also see that we are missing the final push, to be with the leaders at those truly pivotal moments in the stages, when it gets steep, technical and fast.” 

 

“It’s a mix of disappointment and happiness for me,” Figueras stated. “I’m disappointed that I can’t quite match Janina [Wust] and Rosa [van Doorn], but also happy because I wasn’t able to train as well as I would have liked following the infection I had at the Absa Cape Epic.” 

 

Having won her fourth stage in a row Van Doorn was happy to explain what had transpired on the trails in more detail: “The start was super hectic because we were all together in a big group and the A-Batch men caught our UCI Women’s group too. We had to be patient then and ride safely until the climbs. On the last climb of the day, which was also the steepest and longest of the two main climbs, we attacked and went away. We were able to extend that advantage on the downhill, but on the flat back to the finish we had to just keep pushing to ensure we took the win today.” 

 

Van Doorn and Wurst’s margin of victory was just 22 seconds, but it still adds to their general classification lead. The BUFF MEGAMO Women thus take a 5 minute and 40 second advantage into the final stage. CANNONDALE ISB SPORT will have it all to do on the final stage, but anything could still happen on Rab. 8capital’s fourth third place of the race means that Janka Keseg Stevkova and Martina Krahulcova have the final step of the podium all but secured heading into the last stage, they are 10 minutes off second, but are also very nearly 10 minutes ahead of Daniela Höfler and Alessia Nay in fourth. 

 

In the UCI Men’s race ORBEA Leatt Speed Company’s inspirational, never say die, attitude was the key differential on the day. Lukas Baum and Georg Egger went on the attack from the off and were only prevented from claiming stage honours by more misfortune. “Lukas [Baum] went super fast from the beginning and we had a gap after the first climb, which was more or less a kicker,” Egger explained. “We rode quite hard, but unfortunately, we had two flat tyres after that and had a little problem with a stick in the derailleur too. So, ja, I think our gap was quite big during the race. After the long climb we had 2 minutes or something. But with the struggles we lost it again. We still made up some time on the overall leaders and hopefully we’ll have another good day tomorrow. We’ll go on the attack again and try to get into yellow.” 

 

Behind ORBEA Leatt Speed Company Nicola Taffarel and Massimo Rosa had their toughest stage of the race thus far. The Metallurgica Veneta MTB Pro Team 1 were unable to cover Baum and Egger’s initial attack and had to work to avoid losing their yellow CIOVITA jerseys. “We tried to stay in the first group with [ORBEA Leatt] Speed Company, but we had some mechanical problems,” Taffarel noted. “Massimo [Rosa] helped me get back to the group the first time, but then I had another mechanical and we lost touch with the top teams. We’re a little disappointed, but we’ll do our best to keep the leaders jerseys tomorrow.” 

 

Having started the day 3:40 down Munoz and Martínez have been quietly consistent throughout the 2024 4Islands MTB Croatia thus far. The Klimatiza Toteemi Cabberty 2 team were best able to follow Baum and Egger’s attack and were well placed to capitalise when the ORBEA Leatt Speed Company pairing lost time on the trails. “My feelings weren’t that good at the beginning of the stage, because of the hectic start [ORBEA Leatt] Speed Company subjected us all to,” Martínez laughed. “It was brutal! But we kept fighting and caught Lukas [Baum] and Georg [Egger] on the last downhill, because of their two punctures. We then managed to stay with them in the run in to the finish and won the stage in the sprint.”

 

“I’m so proud of the job we’ve done so far in the race and on today in particular,” Munoz smiled. “We’ve showed that we’re not just outsiders and have seen problems as well as weaknesses in our rivals. I know Metallurgica [Veneta MTB Pro Team 1] and [ORBEA Leatt] Speed Company are both very strong, but I hope to fight for victory in the general classification tomorrow!” 

 

Heading into the final stage Klimatiza Toteemi Cabberty 2 trail Metallurgica Veneta MTB Pro Team 1 by 2 minutes and 25 seconds. ORBEA Leatt Speed Company are a further 66 seconds back in third. Which means that Stage 4 could well be a humdinger. 

 

The final stage of the 2024 race takes place on the island of Rab. The route is 65 kilometres long and features 1 640 metres of climbing. Though none of the climbs gain more than 150 metres in elevation the day is a relentless one of constant ups and downs. It certainly provides the terrain for the likes of Klimatiza Toteemi Cabberty 2, ORBEA Leatt Speed Company and perhaps even CANNONDALE ISB SPORT to overturn the leads of Metallurgica Veneta MTB Pro Team 1 and the BUFF MEGAMO Women. 

 

Mountain biking fans are encouraged, therefore, to share in the action by following @4islandsmtb on Instagram or liking the 4Islands MTB Facebook page. Daily highlight videos can also be viewed on the Epic Series YouTube channel, for a more in-depth look back at the racing. To find more about the event and Croatia’s Kvarner islands visit www.epic-series.com/4islands. 

 

2024 4Islands MTB Croatia

UCI Men’s Results | Stage 3:

1.     Klimatiza Toteemi Cabberty 2: Miguel Munoz & Luis Martínez (1:24:25) 

2.     ORBEA Leatt Speed Company: Georg Egger & Lukas Baum (1:24:27 | +2) 

3.     Team Bulls Mavericks: Simon Schneller & Axel Roudil-Cortinat (1:25:27 | +1:02)

4.     Metallurgica Veneta MTB Pro Team 1: Nicola Taffarel & Massimo Rosa (1:25:40 | +1:15)

5.     Klimatiza Toteemi Cabberty: Roberto Bou Martin & Sebastian Gesche (1:28:02 | +3:37)

 

UCI Women’s Results | Stage 3:

1.     BUFF MEGAMO Women : Janina Wust & Rosa van Doorn (1:47:05)          

2.     CANNONDALE ISB SPORT: Monica Calderon & Meritxell Figueras (1:47:27 | +22)

3.     8capital: Janka Keseg Stevkova & Martina Krahulcova (1:48:58 | +1:53) 

4.     Koba: Daniela Höfler & Alessia Nay (1:50:39 | +3:34)

5.     MenteCorpo Cicli Drigani Pro Team: Costanza Fasolis & Giulia Alberti (1:53:23 | +6:18)

 

UCI Men’s General Classification after Stage 3:

1.     Metallurgica Veneta MTB Pro Team 1: Nicola Taffarel & Massimo Rosa (7:56:54) 

2.     Klimatiza Toteemi Cabberty 2: Miguel Munoz & Luis Martínez (7:59:19| +2:25)

3.     ORBEA Leatt Speed Company: Georg Egger & Lukas Baum (8:00:25 | +3:31)

4.     BUFF MEGAMO 1: Wout Alleman & Pablo Rodriguez Guede (8:09:14 | +12:20)

5.     BUFF MEGAMO 2: Hans Becking & José Dias (8:14:37 | +17:43)

 

UCI Women’s General Classification after Stage 3:

1.     BUFF MEGAMO Women : Janina Wust & Rosa van Doorn (9:54:31)          

2.     CANNONDALE ISB SPORT: Monica Calderon & Meritxell Figueras (10:00:11 | +5:40)

3.     8capital: Janka Keseg Stevkova & Martina Krahulcova (10:10:06| +15:35) 

4.     Koba: Daniela Höfler & Alessia Nay (10:19:00 | +24:29)

5.     MenteCorpo Cicli Drigani Pro Team: Costanza Fasolis & Giulia Alberti (10:36:26 | +41:55)

 

To view the full results from the 2024 4Islands MTB Croatia click here.