CRO-Race stage 1 unfolds over 240km and wraps with Beadle & Peron in Top 25

Sports director Gennady Mikhaylov:

“That was a very long day to start the race with, mainly flat with a third category climb in the final third and we knew that would come down to a sprint in Varaždin, so there were no real surprises.”

“The first attack formed the break and then the bunch sat up for what seemed like forever, but really it was after the climb and the break was caught with 30km to go. We stuck together today and that was great to see, Filippo had a good start and finished with his teammates in the bunch.”

“Andrea and Hamish were our standout guys, and they were so close to a higher finish, the final circuit was extremely fast, and they just slipped back into the top 25 on the last corners on the cobbles. But it was a positive start today and we will look to continue in this vein over the next stages, even if the terrain does get harder!”

Andrea Peron:

“The guys were great today, we all did our jobs well, but Hamish was right up there with me to the end and really gave me a hand with trying to hold the position. I got cut off in the last corner before the line and dabbed the breaks to avoid going down and that’s where I missed out today.

“It was very fast, but we knew that finish would be and it’s frustrating to come so close to a top ten again.”

Hamish Beadle:

“That was absolutely awesome! I would use another adjective, but I don’t want to get in to trouble. It was amazing, a real buzz and I haven’t felt that good on a bike in a long time. I know it’s going to get harder this week and we hit some pretty heavy terrain over the next few days, but I’m going to enjoy this feeling and soak it in.”