Izola Ready for the 12th Grand Prix of Slovenian Istria

On Sunday, March 22, the well-established one-day race will take place on the roads in the hinterland of Slovenian Istria. For the first time the start and finish will be located on Industrijska cesta, in front of the headquarters of the principal sponsor of the race, Dinit Card Services. The race will be broadcast live.

A total of 29 teams from 11 countries will compete in this year’s UCI 1.2 category race, featuring riders from 31 nations. All three Slovenian continental teams – Factor Racing, Pogi Team Gusto Ljubljana, and KK Novo mesto – as well as Ribno Alpine Resort Bled, will be aiming for strong results. Among the international teams, two UCI ProTeams stand out: Italy’s Solution Tech Nippo Rali and Hungary’s MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort.

Reversed Route, Same Race Character

The large circuit, now run in a counterclockwise direction, continues after leaving Izola over three shorter climbs via Belveder and through Strunjan towards Lucija and Sečovlje. The main climb follows the primary road over Šmarje pri Kopru, measuring 3.6 km with an average gradient of 5.2%. The course then continues to rise slightly over rolling terrain towards Gažon, followed by a descent back to Izola. After four large laps, riders will complete three additional 8.7 km laps in the immediate vicinity of Izola.

The changes were explained by the Sports Director of the Slovenian Cycling Federation, Martin Hvastija: »Due to new traffic calming infrastructure in the center of Izola, we had to move the start-finish area to Industrijska cesta, as it is no longer possible to position the finishing straight near the sea. Consequently, we reversed the circuit. After twelve years, this is a significant change. However, I believe the race will not differ greatly, the course remains selective. There are two corners in the final kilometer, and the finishing straight rises slightly, which may even be better, making the sprint more demanding. In any case, the course is selective enough to expect a reduced bunch sprint, or possibly even a successful breakaway.«

The total race distance will be 165.3 km. The start is scheduled for 13:00, with team presentations beginning at 11:45, and the finish expected around 17:00. The live broadcast on the Slovenian Cycling Federation’s YouTube channel (@sloveniacycling) will begin at 15:00.