VICCRD at the Istria300 2026: Racing Fever on the Roads of Istria
Imagine riding up to 300 kilometres on closed roads across one of the most beautiful corners of the Adriatic, and only deciding how far you will actually go once you are out on the course. That is the idea behind Istria300. On Saturday, 3 October, the sixth edition rolled out at exactly 7:00 in the morning, right on the sea and alongside the historic city walls of Poreč, as the sun came up. Three Geizhals.at VICC Racing Division riders were on the start line.
A sold out day in the sunshine
The weather played along with temperatures that felt more like summer and sunshine all day. Riders could choose between three distances: the Istria300 with 302 km and 5,300 metres of climbing, the Istria209 with 3,300 metres and the Istria135 with 1,800 metres. The event had been sold out since May with 4,595 entries. In the end 3,768 riders from 39 nations took the start and 3,437 of them made it back to Poreč. The last finisher crossed the line at sunset, just before 19:00 in the evening. Austria was by far the biggest nation in the field once again, so you were never far from a familiar accent out on the road.
The race at the front
The men's Istria300 came down to the wire. Alban Lakata took the win in 8:29:49, just 26 seconds ahead of Miguel Brugger, with Paul Verbnjak third, all three of them Austrian. It was Lakata's second Istria300 win after his first in 2024. At 47, he called it his final race for the team he has ridden for over the past eight years, so what a way to sign off.
In the women's race, defending champion Valerie Rupitsch had to abandon after a puncture. Annalisa Prato from Italy won in 9:18:29, ahead of Tina Klinar from Slovenia and Odette Bertolin from Italy. Federico Gnoato and Carina Ziegler won the Istria209, while Fran Bošnjak (3:33:15) and Tatjana Winkler (3:46:27) took the Istria135.
Our VICC road trip
Susanne Auer, Alexander Gheorghiu and Andreas Fida-Taumer travelled down to Poreč together in a VW bus. By all accounts it was a lovely, relaxed trip, and all three were full of praise for the organisation on site. The verdict was clear: they are very likely to be back next year.
Andreas Fida-Taumer: 209 km of pure racing fever
Andreas set off with the ambitious plan of riding the full 300 km. Then, as he puts it, he got completely hooked. "I caught the racing fever and teamed up with a few other crazy guys, pushing the pace and overtaking quite a few riders along the way. Such a great feeling when you're in the flow!"
The flow came at a price. Too many matches burned early on, and by his own admission a few too many risks taken on the descents again. At kilometre 80 the cramps arrived and Andreas switched into survival mode: lower the heart rate, ease off the watts and recover while still racing. Along the way he bumped into some old cycling friends, including Manuel Rigo, Carinna and Claudia, and somehow made it to the feed station at kilometre 114.
That is where he made what he calls the wise decision not to ride another 200 km, and to finish the 209 km loop instead. "That did wonders for my motivation, and I was soon back in the flow, having a blast again." At least until a completely unnecessary 15% climb, where he had to get off and push twice. "After that, all I wanted was to go home."
For the last 30 km Andreas joined a group of ten, switched into King of the Lake mode and activated his energy saving programme. It paid off. He was first into the final kilometre and, spurred on by Susanne's applause at the finish, pulled off a sprint to cross the line first in his group.
Andreas finished the Istria209 in 7:31:12 at an average of 27.8 km/h, 287th out of 1,132 finishers and 64th out of 279 in the men's 50 to 59 age group. That put him in the top quarter of the field. His conclusion says it all: "Unforgettable memories, and that's what it's all about in the end. Stepping a little outside your comfort zone!"
Alexander Gheorghiu: a solid day on the 209
Alex also took on the Istria209 and brought it home in 7:56:30, averaging 26.3 km/h. He finished 478th out of 1,132 and 114th out of 279 in the men's 50 to 59 category, a good ten minutes quicker than the average finisher on the distance.
Susanne Auer: a strong ride on the 135
Susanne rode the Istria135 and finished in 5:06:14 at 26.5 km/h. She was 902nd out of 1,994 finishers, 118th woman, and an excellent 12th out of 84 in the women's 50 to 59 age group, placing her in the top 15% of her category. And she still had enough energy left to cheer Andreas over the line a couple of hours later.
Thank you
A big thank you to the Istria300 team, the volunteers and everyone along the roads of Istria for a superb day of cycling. And of course a big thank you to our sponsor Geizhals.at for backing the team all season. The seventh edition takes place on 2 October 2027, and it sounds like VICC will be there again. See you in Poreč!
Impressions
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