2023 Istria300 | Highlights & Report
For the third Istria300 edition on October 7th, 2.800 participants from 40 countries came to Croatia to start their ride in colourful Istria when the sun rose. The last finisher crossed the finish line when the sun went down.
All participants started from the Poreč, where they also finished the ride. Under the event slogan, Ride your limits! participants could, as every year, choose a route length of 300, 242 or 168 kilometres during the ride, which makes Istria300 a unique project. The fact that there are about 1,000 applicants on the waiting list speaks about the success of this event.
“Every year we are blessed with good weather, and the participants pointed out that nowhere have they experienced such a positive atmosphere on the entire route, including the competitors themselves to the cheering of the local population and the spontaneous refreshment stations with pasta with truffles. That only exists in Istria!”, emphasised Vladimir Miholjević, Istria300 Race Director.
“Istria300 is the fastest growing cycling project in Europe, and the positive impressions of the participants from year to year are a guarantee of further growth of the project in future editions, but we in the organisation will take care, as always, that this growth is controlled and slower than the interest on the market, which is why there was a waiting list this year as well. However, to enable the participation of international participants, due to the greater availability of international transport lines, Istria300 will be held next September 28”, said Event Director Julius Rupitsch.
Olympic winners and recreational athletes in one place
“Tire by tire” recreational cyclists, several famous sportsmen and Olympic winners from various sports , such as Martin Koch, Robert Kranjec, Nicole Thost, Sonny Colbrelli known as a cycling star, and Olympian Ivica Kostelić, ride together on closed Istrian roads.
And while everyone was a winner in the Istria300 Mini for children on a 300-metre course with obstacles, the winner on the longest, 300-kilometer route was Tadej Sedar from Slovenia with a time of 8:57:07. At the same time, Laura Šimenc from Slovenia won the women’s competition with 9:48:57.
Istria300 Ladies – a special feature of this year’s edition
More and more women are discovering the beauty of road cycling, which allows them to discover and explore the landscape and nature at the same time, which is why Istria300 introduced a new, exclusively female program to inspire even more women to ride – Istria300 Ladies, whose ambassador was the German Catherine Rossmann, an icon of women’s amateur cycling who drove with the symbolic start number 300.
Istria as a hit destination for famous athletes
“We are proud that Istria300 gathered such a large number of famous athletes in Istria, who in this way additionally promote the beauty of Istria and Poreč, a healthy lifestyle and sportsmanship. Our goal is to promote Istria as an excellent year-round cycling destination, which is why we are particularly pleased with the estimate that 15,000 nights were spent in the destination as part of the Istria300,” said the organizers.
Istria300 – success is the result of teamwork
Due to the large number of drivers and the safety of all traffic participants, the project was realized in intensive cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Croatia and the Police Administration of Istria.
“We must point out the excellent cooperation with the relevant institutions, which enabled us to make the entire organization run flawlessly. We especially thank all the residents of Istria who were understanding due to the special traffic regulation on the day of the competition, necessary for the safety of all participants, and especially for greeting us with a smile on the way”, said Vladimir Miholjević, director of the Istria300 race, and especially thanked the sponsors and loyal partners whose support they have year after year.
With Istria300 Mini and Ladies this year, Istria300 was also the largest bicycle exhibition in Croatia, which brought together 30 exhibitors of the most famous bicycle brands.
The organizer of the cycling event Istria300 is the company Bike Triangle, and again this year the partners are Valamar Riviera d.d., Heineken 0.0, HEP, the Tourist Board of the City of Poreč, the Tourist Board of the County of Istria and the Croatian Tourist Board.
