This post is also available in: Croatian
Have you ever tried to catch the wind? By your touch or your body? Maybe it gently tangled your hair? Isn’t it just romantic! And all this romance has kissed & met with the sport segment, by active participation or by viewing the best recreational bike race XCM marathon “Uvati vitar” (Catch the Wind), which was held on Brač Island from May 18th till May 20th.
It was one of the best “two wheels” races for which no license was required. “Uvati vitar” took place on three trails – ʺBonacaʺ 18 km, ʺVitarʺ 43 km and ʺBuraʺ 75 km.
But that does not mean that top cycling competitors did not get their own special treat. For them, as well as for all those who love long runs, an attractive, 70-kilometres-long trail with a special windy name “Bura”, was prepared. At the end of the race, all those who craved fast downhill, single track trails, demanding uprises which highlight physical preparation and strength, especially of the lower limb muscles, were very satisfied with their performance, as well as the results of other competitors.
The start for all trails was in Sutivan, where also all the accompanying events took place. On Sutivan’s promenade, all the biggest cycling brands were presented, so the competitors and visitors were given a great opportunity to socialize with their representatives.
ʺBuraʺ, ʺVitarʺ and ʺBonacaʺ
Just before the start of the race, the more advanced recreative sportspeople, who didn’t really know if they were sufficiently physically prepared to withstand the demanding “Bura” race segment, decided to participate in a 40-kilometers-long race called “Vitarʺ (Wind). It was enough to get their muscles all worked up, but at the same time, they could enjoy occasional glances of the environment – to get a better idea of the environment where they were spinning the pedals of their two-wheeled pets.
The recreational enthusiasts, looking for a more relaxed pedaling, including a view of the vivid landscape of Brač Island, were destined to race on the 20-kilometers-long “Bonaca” (Calm Wind) trail. This track was designed for the so-called tourist ride & sightseeing of the island.
The most demanding section of “Bura” (Strong North Wind) in M2 category, was won by Matjaž Budin, a competitor from Slovenia. Slovenians confirmed their dominance by overtaking the second place – Robert Schangulin, and third place too – Zvonimir Pokupec. All other categories featured domestic competitors on the winning positions. This is once again confirmed the old Croatian folk proverb “Daj materi dite!” (Get the child to where it belongs – to the mother!)
The category M3 was won by Alan Buhin, Zoran Perić came in second, and Zoran Bingula in third place. But the cycling ladies were not far behind their male colleagues – in “Bura”, the fastest one to reach the finising line was Paula Vrdoljak, the second place was taken by Majda Horvat, and third place by Jelena Rovčanić.
The “Vitar” race in M1 category was won by Filip Barač, Marko Varga came in second place and Danijel Peštaj in the third one. Marin Pejdo was the best in category M2, second place was won by Saša Vidović, and third place by Davor Krezić. In M3 category, Marko Barač celebrated as a winner, second place was won by Zoran Teur, and third place belonged to a competitor from Poland, Karel Vylet. In that race as well, we had a female competitor from Croatia to win the first place – Josipa Papec, the second place was won by Petra Runtas and the third one by Mateja Cah.
And last but not least … as cherry on top for the recreational race “Bonaca” – the M1 category was again won by a domestic competitor Jere Lukšić, Vedran Jutronić came in second place and Petar Vrsalović in third place. M2 was won by Krešimir Pavlinić, the second one was Gordan Periš, and the third place was won by a competitor from Sweden, Patrik Wallin. Djura Tot won the M3 category, second place was won by Zvonimir Perkušić, and the third one by Darko Vedrina. The Croatian competitor, Renata Ogrizek, was the fastest among female cyclers, second place belonged to Tanita Salkić, a competitor from Bosnia & Herzegovina, and the third was won by another local competitor, Daniela Farčić.
Rich prize pool
All award-winners, the hosts have prepared a rich prize pool, and all the visitors could participate in an attractive lottery. The locals from Brač haven’t skipped the youngest ones either – they organized them a proper competition – The Kids Race and made it possible for them to take photos with the winners of the XCM race.
This year’s “Uvati vitar” race has surpassed all expectations, as well as all previous races, and all its participants had only words of praise. While our minds are still fresh from this year’s race, we are already starting to prepare for the next one, so consider yourself all invited to the XCM “Uvati vitar” race in 2019!
This post is also available in: Croatian
