| 2021 CRO Race | |
| Series: | 2021 UCI Europe Tour |
| Date: | 28 September–3 October 2021 |
| Stages: | 6 |
| Distance: | 1083 |
| Unit: | km |
| Time: | 25h 45' 17" |
| First: | Stephen Williams |
| First Nat: | GBR |
| First Color: | red |
| Second: | Markus Hoelgaard |
| Second Nat: | NOR |
| Third: | Mick van Dijke |
| Third Nat: | NED |
| Points: | Olav Kooij |
| Points Nat: | NED |
| Points Color: | blue |
| Mountains: | Simon Yates |
| Mountains Nat: | GBR |
| Mountains Color: | green |
| Youth: | Mick van Dijke |
| Youth Nat: | NED |
| Youth Color: | white |
| Previous: | 2019 |
| Next: | 2022 |
The 2021 CRO Race was a road cycling stage race that took place in Croatia between 28 September and 3 October 2021. It was the sixth edition of the Tour of Croatia since its revival in 2015 and the second under the CRO Race name.[1] The race was rated as a category 2.1 event on the 2021 UCI Europe Tour calendar.[2]
Four of the 19 UCI WorldTeams, seven UCI ProTeams, and nine UCI Continental teams made up the 20 teams that participated in the race.[3] All but four teams entered a full squad of seven riders;,, and each entered six riders, while entered five riders. In total, 134 riders started the race,[4] of which 110 finished.[5]
UCI WorldTeams
UCI ProTeams
UCI Continental Teams
| Stage | Date | Course | Distance | Type | Winner | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 September | Osijek to Varaždin | 237km (147miles) | Flat stage | |||
| 2 | 29 September | Slunj to Otočac | 187km (116miles) | Hilly stage | |||
| 3 | 30 September | Primošten to Makarska | 167km (104miles) | Hilly stage | |||
| 4 | 1 October | Zadar to Crikvenica | 197km (122miles) | Hilly stage | |||
| 5 | 2 October | Rabac/Labin to Opatija | 137.5km (85.4miles) | Mountain stage | |||
| 6 | 3 October | Samobor to Zagreb | 157.5km (97.9miles) | Flat stage | |||
| Total | 1083km (673miles) | ||||||
In the 2021 CRO Race, four different jerseys were awarded. The general classification was calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage, and applying time bonuses for the first three riders at intermediate sprints (three seconds to first, two seconds to second, and one second to third) and at the finish of mass-start stages; these were awarded to the first three finishers on all stages: the stage winner won a ten-second bonus, with six and four seconds for the second and third riders, respectively. The leader of the classification received a red jersey; it was considered the most important of the 2021 CRO Race, and the winner of the classification was considered the winner of the race.
| Position | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points for | 20 | 15 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Points for | 12 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Points for | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | ||||
| Points for | 3 | 2 | 1 | |||||
Additionally, there was a points classification, for which the leader was awarded a blue jersey. In the points classification, cyclists received points for finishing in the top 15 of each stage. For winning a stage, a rider earned 25 points, with 20 for second, 16 for third, 14 for fourth, 12 for fifth, 10 for sixth, and a point fewer per place down to 1 point for 15th place. Points towards the classification could also be won on a 5–3–1 scale for the first three riders, respectively, at intermediate sprint points during each stage; these intermediate sprints also offered bonus seconds towards the general classification as noted above.
There was also a mountains classification, the leadership of which was marked by a green jersey. In the mountains classification, points towards the classification were won by reaching the summit of a climb before other cyclists. Each climb was marked as either hors, first, second, or third-category, with more points available for the higher-categorized climbs.
The fourth and final jersey represented the young rider classification, and its leadership was marked by a white jersey. This was decided in the same way as the general classification, but only riders born after 1 January 1999 (i.e., under 23 years of age at the beginning of the year) were eligible to be ranked in the classification. There was also a team classification, in which the times of the best three cyclists per team on each stage were added together; the leading team at the end of the race was the team with the lowest total time.