The Best Cyclists in the World Come to Train in Croatia

The leading Croatian tourist company Valamar Riviera d.d., specifically the Valamar Diamant hotel in Poreč, will serve as the base for the training camp of the Tinkoff-Saxo team from October 26 to 29.

This is the first time that a cycling World Tour team is coming to Croatia, and the visit is particularly significant as it involves the Tinkoff-Saxo team, which includes some of the best cyclists of today, such as Peter Sagan, who became the current world champion in road racing on September 27 after crossing the finish line first on the 261.4-kilometer route around the American city of Richmond, and Alberto Contador, a multiple winner of grand tour races like the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, and Vuelta a España. The Tinkoff-Saxo team will arrive in full force, with all 26 riders, including other notable names such as Rafał Majka, Ivan Basso, Roman Kreuziger, and others, and this year, Croatian cyclist Robert Kišerlovski will also ride for the team.

Along with the riders, the entire team will arrive in Poreč, including sports directors, coaches, mechanics, nutritionists, doctors, and management, totaling around 80 people. In addition to training rides through Istria, the Valamar Diamant hotel will host the presentation of new equipment and cyclists for the new season, and representatives of the main partners of the Tinkoff-Saxo team, such as Specialized, will also come to Poreč. A detailed program of events will be announced soon, and various presentations, meet-and-greets with fans, autograph signings, and other activities are planned during the Tinkoff-Saxo team’s stay.

During their stay, the cyclists will also undergo a specialist examination at the Thalassotherapia Opatija clinic, which is also the first time in history that such a large and prestigious team has opted for a specialist examination at a Croatian clinic.

“This is a very important event for Istria, Poreč, Valamar Riviera, the Thalassotherapia Opatija clinic, and generally for positioning Croatia on the world cycling map. Given the location, climate, and terrain configuration, we have great potential to become one of the top destinations for major cycling events. A good example is Mallorca, which largely bases its income on road cycling, especially in the pre-season months. I am not only referring to the numerous teams that have chosen Mallorca for training camps but also to cycling tourists who come to the destination to follow their sports idols, and these are people, as research shows, who prefer higher-quality hotel accommodation and are willing to spend on various tourist products,” emphasized Vladimir Miholjević, director of Top Sport Events, the company behind the initiative to bring Tinkoff-Saxo to Croatia. Their arrival has also raised the logical question of whether Tinkoff-Saxo will participate in the Tour of Croatia, an international cycling race that Vladimir Miholjević and Ivan Črnjarić launched this year, which has successfully showcased Croatia in the sports and tourism fields. “Everyone is very satisfied with the results of the first Tour of Croatia race, including us as organizers, sponsors, partners, and the general public. I think the fact that teams are reaching out themselves and want to participate in the 2016 race speaks volumes. You can certainly expect the best teams and the most prominent names, and the impact and image of the Tour of Croatia is confirmed by the fact that the participation of the Tinkoff-Saxo team has already been confirmed. However, besides participating in the race, we have presented Croatia as a destination that offers a range of motivations for coming beyond just racing, and we are particularly pleased to have gained the trust of our healthcare institution,” confirmed Miholjević, a former professional cyclist who rode for World Tour teams and competed in the biggest cycling races.

Ivica Vrkić, Marketing Director at Valamar Riviera, also confirmed his satisfaction with this project:

“We are extremely proud that the Tinkoff-Saxo team chose the Poreč destination and Valamar for organizing their training camp. Their trust is a testament to the quality of our previous work and an incentive for further development of the cycling tourism offer, which will utilize the full potential of our destinations from Istria to Dubrovnik and will rank alongside the strongest European destinations in terms of competitiveness and attractiveness. In recent years, it has become clear that Istria as a destination is making significant strides in developing its bike offer, and Valamar is at the forefront of this development and aims to maintain its leading position in the future. Our brand Valamar Loves Bike has been present in the market for several years; we have developed six specialized bike hotels that offer the highest service standards for both recreational and professional cyclists, and we are the organizers of a series of successful events, such as the Valamar Terra Magica race. We approach the development of destination products that, in addition to cycling, relate to other forms of active recreation such as trekking, diving, tennis, beach sports, and others systematically and believe that this type of offer is a guarantee for the further development of our destinations, especially in the pre- and post-season periods.”

The arrival of the Tinkoff-Saxo team for a training camp in Croatia confirms that the Croatian Tourist Board and hoteliers have shown interest in investing in cycling tourism and its systematic development, indicating that they see good prospects in it, not only in sales but also in the development of this product.