Bosnian Lejla Tanovic from the Greek SMF Team and Bostjan Hribovšek from the Slovenian Calcita were the winners of the tedious XC marathon Uvati Vitar which was held last weekend in Sutivan, reports Slobodna Dalmacija on June 6, 2017.
At the second edition of the strongest and most demanding cross-country marathon in Dalmatia, there were more than two hundred mountain bicyclists and cyclists from a dozen European countries. The route, which was longer than one hundred kilometers, was organized with excellence - and the true Mediterranean weather enchanted all who visited this bike-friendly destination.
“The race was well organized but very difficult. The terrain was more difficult than I expected with very little downhill for rest, but it took place in a beautiful environment,” said winner Lejla Tanović.
The long route was a real challenge. The start and finish of the race were at the waterfront in Sutivan which then followed through the heart of the island and up to the highest point, Vidova.
The best Croat in the race, Filip Turk from Samobor BBK Šišmiš, was only a few seconds behind the winner, Hribovšek.
“The competition was extremely strong, everyone who will ride in the World Cup in the Czech Republic was on the island, along with a lot of strong Croats and Slovenes. It was difficult, and only in the last three kilometers was I able to separate from Turk and the others,” revealed the winner Bostjan Hribovšek.
The epic race was scored for World UCI points, but if you weren’t up for the challenge? There were a few other short races of 37 and 21 kilometers, and even several children's races organized by Aldura Sport.
Uvati Vitar is one of three XC marathons in the Croatian Cup within the UCI category. The organizers BK Grma and BK Spalatum proudly pointed out that this year's race was two times larger and richer than last year's premiere. With support from the Tourist Board of Sutivan and others, Brač is being promoted as a bike-friendly destination.
“We have invested in cycling in numerous ways for several years. We have created new routes, are building new infrastructure, and are trying to get the locals that have bikes to help promote Brač together with other places on the island as a bike destination throughout Europe. We are especially proud that the race has a UCI ranking, but that is just the icing on the cake and we do not plan to stop here,” said the Director of the Tourist Board of Sutivan Tončica Tonšić.
