Rui Oliveira takes sixth in stage 2 of the CRO Race

Continuing his consistent start to racing in Croatia, Rui Oliveira sprinted to sixth place on stage 2 of the CRO Race. Oliveira and his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammates were in the saddle for only a little over an hour on Wednesday afternoon, with the stage shortened to 51km due to high winds in the area.

Undeterred by the finish being brought forward to the top of the final Category 3 climb, UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s seven-man squad made its presence known throughout the final half hour of the stage. Chaperoned by the powerful legs of Julius Johansen, the Emirati squad took the front of the peloton into the lower slopes of the climb to Jovići.

With his might, the peloton mopped up the remainder of the day’s breakaway, before Rune Herregodts, Abdulla Jasim Al-Ali and Mateo Pablo Ramírez each piloted Oliveira into position. It was a fast conclusion to a fast spell in the saddle, with the stage decided at the top of a gentle climb that saw a large peloton come to the rearranged finish.

As was the case on Tuesday, Brandon McNulty was the last lead-out man for Oliveira on stage 2, with the American leading the Portuguese rider into the final couple of hundred metres. It was here that Oliveira burst around his teammate and punched towards the top of the climb.

Ultimately, Oliveira was forced to settle for sixth, as the pure sprinters benefited from the shortened stage, and battled for the top honours. The stage was won by Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) for the second day in succession, as UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s McNulty hung on for 10th place.

Four opportunities remain for McNulty, Oliveira and their teammates to reach the top step in Croatia.

Speaking after the finish, Oliveira reflected on his second top-10 finish in a row.

Oliveira: “The shortened stage did not help me in the end because if it were a normal stage and we passed over this climb before the finish, I think the sprinters would not be as fresh. The small number of kilometres made it very competitive in the end.

“The positioning was on well-drilled by us in the end. I asked Brandon to stay on the left-hand side of the road because we knew that the wind was blowing from the right, so I wanted to put everyone else in the wind.

“In the end, we came in a bit too early but we committed and once you commit in the front, you have to go. Once I started the sprint, I did not have too much speed, and all the other guys came from the back with momentum. In the next days, we can try again though to do something better.”

CRO Race stage 2 results:

1. Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) 1:04:55

2. Edoardo Zambanini (Bahrain Victorious) s.t

3. Ben Turner (Ineos Grenadiers) s.t

6. Rui Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) s.t

CRO Race general classification after stage 2

1. Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) 4:49:49

2. Diego Uriarte (Equipo Kern Pharma) +11”

3. Danny van Poppel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) +14”

9. Rui Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +20”