An old saying goes that "at the end of the day, only one can win in a race". And most of the time, that's indeed true... but not at the 2026 UMAG Classic! A traditional season opener for many central-European continental teams and WorldTour development teams alike, the Croatian 1.2 race had seen sprinter superstars such as Olav Kooij and Matthew Brennan take their first elite-category victories on its roads. And in 2026, not one but two names were added on the race's roll of honor!
The 142-kilometer race is traditionally known to be very nervous and often marked by many crashes. Fortunately, the 2026 edition smoothly reached a bunch finish with only individual incidents.
In the event of a sprinter showdown, the pre-race favourites were Solution Tech-NIPPO-Rali's Dusan Rajovic, Davide Persico and Marceli Boguslawski (winner of 7 sprints in 2025).
However at the end of the three-hour race, it was ultimately a 19-year-old Czech sprinter Adam Bradáč (Factor Racing) whose dominance allowed for a celebration already before the finish line... At least that's what he probably thought at that moment.
The biggest race favourite Dusan Rajovic was not going to give up just yet and in a last-ditch effort, he threw his bike across the finish line next to the celebrating Bradáč. A moment of silence. Who won? Did Bradáč throw away his first elite-category victory and did an 'Alaphilippe'?
The jury has taken its sweet time to decipher this mystery and when the final decision came, it was a shock for everyone... The race has two winners!
After a thorough examination of the photo finish, the jury could not find a clear difference between the front wheels of Bradáč and Rajovic, declaring a draw. Thus, both riders got to share the race trophy and a title of "winner". Ex-pro Erik Fetter (United Shipping) completed the podium.
A heart-warming finish to the race, but the die-hard cycling fans can be saddened that we haven't seen UCI's 'Dead Heat' rule in practice. (In case of a draw for 1st place, riders would be to race one-on-one in a 1-kilometer duel for the victory).
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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