10th Grand Prix of Slovenian Istria powered by I Feel Slovenia: Marcin Budzinski victorious

The milestone edition of the race on its now traditional course through Slovenian Istria unfolded differently than usual. The main group, led by Anže Skok, sprinted only for fourth place, while the riders from a brakeaway, headed by Marcin Budzinski, celebrated on the podium.

The Slovenian road cycling season kicked off once again with an international 2.1 category race, featuring 30 teams and an impressive lineup of 172 riders from 31 countries. As in previous years, the Cycling Federation of Slovenia received support from all four coastal municipalities -Izola, Piran, Koper, and Ankaran - in organizing the event. In collaboration with the Slovenian Tourist Board and the I Feel Slovenia brand, the race was once again broadcast live, with many viewers tuning in via MMC RTV Slovenia.

A long breakaway by two escapees

The race took place under perfect spring conditions, with a high pace causing a significant drop in the number of finishers - only 86 riders, half of the starting peloton, made it to the finish. Along the way, competitors battled for prizes at three mountain sprints in Barede and three intermediate sprints on the short laps in Izola.

For a significant portion of the race, Italian Bryan Olivo (CTF Victorious) and Briton Max Walker (Astana-Qazaqstan Development Team) led the breakaway, with Walker also claiming the mountain sprint classification. In the first half of the race, the duo built a lead of up to six minutes, with the Czech teams ATT Investments and VF Group-Bardiani-CSF-Faizane investing the most effort in the chase.

Decisive attack over 50 kilometers from the finish

The race turned in the fourth lap when Riccardo Zoidl (Felt-Felbermeyer) attacked on the final ascent to Barede. Walker managed to follow, and by the time they descended from Šmarje into the Dragonja Valley, four more riders had joined them—Max van der Meulen (CTF Victorious), Byron Munton (Epronex-Hungary Cycling Team), Martin Messner (WSA-KTM Graz), and Marcin Budzinski (Mazowsze Serce Polski). Working together, they maintained a lead of around 30 seconds ahead of the chasing peloton.

Jaka Marolt (Sava Kranj) and David Paumann (Tirol KTM) attempted to bridge the gap 34 kilometers from the finish but were unsuccessful. As the leaders approached the final large circuit before Izola, their group began to splinter on the last climb. Zoidl, van der Meulen, and Budzinski entered the final laps alone. Meanwhile, Max Walker, the breakaway rider from the second lap, struggled to keep up, while the peloton's deficit extended beyond 50 seconds. Once again, Bardiani riders, arguably the strongest team on paper, took on most of the chase workload.

A dynamic finish

With about five kilometers to go, Zoidl, the oldest rider in the group at 35, dropped off the lead trio. Three kilometers from the finish, van der Meulen launched an attack on the final climb but was quickly countered by Budzinski. The Dutchman tried again moments later, but once more, his move was neutralized. In the final 500 meters, tactical maneuvering between the two almost allowed Zoidl to rejoin them.

Ultimately, in a long sprint, Marcin Budzinski proved strongest, securing a second consecutive Polish victory following Bartlomiej Proć's success last year. Max van der Meulen had to settle for second place but could take solace in winning the intermediate sprint classification. Riccardo Zoidl held off the peloton to claim third place.

Anže Skok (Adria Mobil) won the bunch sprint for fourth place, repeating his strong performance from last year when he finished third. Žak Eržen (CTF Victorious) finished sixth, marking his fifth top-10 result in his debut senior season. Another Slovenian in the top ten was Skok's teammate, Tilen Finkšt.

Winner Marcin Budzinski: "Finding the right moment was key"

Marcin Budzinski was understandably pleased with his victory: "The key was finding the right moment to break away. I know it's not conventional, but I knew this was my best chance to win. I'm not a sprinter, but I enjoy climbs. When I feel good, I can sprint well and beat stronger riders."

Anže Skok: "We fell just short"

Anže Skok, however, was left somewhat disappointed: "I won the peloton sprint, but unfortunately, the breakaway group stayed ahead. We fell just short, but overall, I think we did a great job. Finkšt and I executed our plan well in the finale. Now, we look ahead to the next races, where we aim even higher."

Three more Slovenian races this week

The 10th Grand Prix of Slovenian Istria powered by I Feel Slovenia was just the first of four Slovenian spring races. The action continues on Tuesday with the Grand Prix Brda-Collio, followed by the Grand Prix Nova Gorica and Vipava Valley on Wednesday. The series concludes on Sunday, March 24, with the Grand Prix Adria Mobil.