Magnier makes no mistake: perfect sprint at the CRO Race

After a four-day fast at the CRO Race , Paul Magnier finally took the cake and won stage 5, riding a textbook lineup from Soudal-QuickStep. This victory feels like redemption and further confirms his status as a pure sprinter.

It wasn't a walk in the park for the Belgian team: with the second-category Plesivica climb in the final 25 km of the route, the task of bringing Magnier back to victory became significantly more complicated. UAE Team Emirates-XRG pushed hard on the climbs, provoking several attacks before the summit and severely testing the peloton's endurance.

But on the descent to Sveta Nedelja, thanks to some top-notch work from Soudal-QuickStep, the peloton regrouped before the final 4km, bringing many of the pure sprinters back into contention. With Magnier glued to the fourth wheel, the Belgian train began cranking the crank for the sprint, with Dries Van Gestel providing the decisive push. Tim Torn Teutenberg attempted to outpace the Frenchman with an early sprint, but when Magnier opened the throttle, he simply flew away from all his rivals, exulting with a roar of liberation. This victory marked his eleventh victory of the season and his 35th as a professional, with Rui Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) second and Teutenberg third.

With the group crossing the finish line in a compact fashion, there were no upheavals in the general classification: Tobias Svarre (Uno-X Mobility), winner of stage 3, maintained his slim four-second lead over Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) and eight seconds over Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates-XRG).

The race will conclude on Sunday in the Croatian capital, Zagreb, with another likely sprint finish, where time bonuses could prove decisive in the fight for the general classification.

Sprint Cycling Photos