Oded Kogut capped off an impeccable team performance on the final stage of the Cro Race, sprinting to victory in Zagreb.
“This feels amazing! To be able to win here once again is just incredible”, Kogut said being celebrated on the podium. “I’m really grateful for my team. They supported me perfectly all day.”
Despite heavy rain throughout the day and a breakaway that proved harder to reel in than expected, IPT fully committed to setting up Kogut for the finale in the same city where he claimed victory last year, securing the team’s 150th win in the process.
The 24-year-old Israeli sprinter, who had already placed third twice in the sprints earlier in the race, was determined to repeat his success. Once the breakaway was caught, Kogut navigated the technical finale with precision, and when he launched his sprint, no one was able to match his speed.
“I wasn’t really stressed about us catching the breakaway. My teammates did an amazing job, and I always trusted them that I would sprint for the win in the end. It was really a textbook performance by the whole team today. In the final part, it was all about fighting to get the best possible position for the sprint. I knew I had the legs to do it today. The rain made it really sketchy, but I managed it well and I’m just so happy to pull this off after such a strong team performance.”
Just like last year, when Kogut won the final stage of Cro Race, today’s victory is another important milestone for IPT, marking win number 175 in total and number 22 this season. Sports director Dror Pekatch highlighted the outstanding teamwork as the decisive factor behind the success.
“The whole team committed fully on the final laps, and we almost closed the entire gap by ourselves. In the final part, Oded took the right wheel, and he finished it off with a strong sprint to take a great victory for himself and for the team.”
In the general classification, Pier-André Côté finished as the best IPT rider in 15th place.
