Hectic finale in Zagreb sees Tobias Lund Andresen sprint to 5th

The final day of racing at the CRO Race saw a predominantly flat stage end in the expected fast finale, with Tobias Lund Andresen getting up in the sprint to finish in fifth place.

Rolling out from Samobor on Sunday, a relatively straightforward day awaited the bunch. Despite this, there were multiple attacks at the start before a five rider break was able to establish itself after 28 kilometres. They built up a lead of around one minute 30 seconds but things were always kept close, with Team dsm-firmenich contributing to the chase in the closing 40 kilometres. Those out front put up a good fight but nothing could deter the sprint teams and they were caught inside the final lap. Moving forward en masse the team were in a good position at around two kilometres to go, but a surge from behind ahead of the final corners saw them pushed back a bit. Last lead-out Pavel Bittner tried to move Tobias Lund Andresen up, but coming onto the final straight Lund Andresen had to open up from far. Weaving his way past riders, and a crash, the young Dane was able to show his power once again and take another fine fifth place result on the stage. The final day of action also saw the team secure a top ten on GC in the form of Matt Dinham who took eighth.

“Today was the easiest of them all, which meant we were going to have a lot of firepower in the end,” explained Lund Andresen. “The break kept the gap for a long time, so we had to use Oscar early. Our plan was to be in front early to make sure we didn’t get caught out. Everyone did a massive effort and I’m really proud of how we worked today. Unfortunately, we lost it in the last kilometre and I had to come from far behind again. There were a lot of near crashes, which made it difficult to open my sprint and come around. I’m not satisfied with leaving without a win, but I’m also very proud of us as a team and how much we’ve been willing to give for each other here.”

Team dsm-firmenich coach Joey van Rhee continued: “We had it all under control again today which was good. Oscar helped in the chase and it worked out perfectly. We all did a good job and used everyone where we could. Coming into the last corners we just didn’t have the power at that moment, and then Pavel got swamped with Tobias in his wheel. From that point the sprint for the win was over as we then had to come from too far back. You could see though that the communication was much better and the guys were really motivated for it today. It’s a real shame to not leave the race with a win as the guys have really gone for it each day, but this is cycling, and it only motivates us more for the next time; as I think we deserved more than this.”