For the third stage in a row, Hans Becking and Wout Alleman, as well as Monica Calderon and Tessa Kortekaas, proved themselves to be the fastest of the UCI Men’s and Women’s teams. Buff Megamo’s stage win may have been by a narrow margin, but with KTM Spada Powered by Brenta Brakes 2 ceding 4 minutes and 20 seconds, the men in yellow’s general classification advantage ballooned. Cannondale ISB Sport gained just 13 seconds over their nearest rivals, yet their steady accumulation of seconds is starting to create a healthy buffer over Bianca Haw and Vera Looser. Though ill health may yet play a role in determining the champions…
The island of Cres welcomed the 4Islands Epic campaigners for the Queen Stage of the 2025 race on Thursday, 17 April. High winds once again played their part, but fortunately, the rain held off during Stage 2, which allowed Buff Megamo and Cannondale ISB Sport to continue their perfect runs through the event. The men in yellow now lead the general classification standings by over 6 minutes, while the dominant UCI Women’s team holds a 1 minute and 29 seconds buffer on Safari Essence Efficient Insure.
Stage 2, on Cres, presented the hardest route of the race with 71 kilometres and 1 800 metres of climbing. Starting and finishing in the town with the same name as the island, the course snaked south, taking in four major climbs, including an ascent to the highest point in the race. Rocky trails, used almost exclusively by shepherds and their flocks, made for challenging riding and demanded absolute focus. Rewarding the teams that could avoid mistakes, which is exactly what Buff Megamo did – until the final 2 kilometres at least.
Simon Schneller and Urs Huber set the early tempo for the UCI Men’s race during Stage 2 of the 4Isands Epic.Photo by Dunja Dopsaj.
“The wind 100% affected the racing and tactics today,” Becking confirmed. “We wanted to see if the other teams could attack us a bit in the beginning. But then it was headwind for the first 40 kilometres, and it was really difficult to get away. So, nobody really wanted to go all out in the front and get counterattacked later, if they pushed too hard into the wind. The last part of the stage was with a tailwind, so it’s difficult to stay in the wheel, because everybody had to pedal the same. But then also the race exploded with the tailwind and the steep climb.”
As Becking explained, the top teams were closely matched, and eight squads went through the aid station at the far end of the course together. Buff Megamo’s nearest general classification rivals, Nicholas Pettinà and Ramon Vantaggiato, of KTM Spada Powered by Brenta Brakes 2, as well as their stablemates Nicolas and Lorenzo Samparisi were able to match the leaders initially, but started to lose time around the 50 kilometre mark. This allowed HEXATRI’s Pierre Billaud and Théo Dupras to take up the mantle of chasers, along with Sebastian Gesche and Roberto Bou Martin, of Klimatiza Orbea. In the closing 20 kilometres Pettinà and Vantaggiato lost 4 minutes and 20 seconds to Alleman and Becking.
Buff Megamo were able to storm to their third stage win of the race.Photo by Dunja Dopsaj.
“We have to check the overall, but I think we have quite a big gap to second,” Becking noted. “A lot of teams had some problems today, but that’s 4Islands Epic. I had to do the last two kilometres on a flat tyre too. But, yeah, we have to race a bit carefully now and try to hang on to the yellow for two more days.”
Despite winning the stage by just 27 seconds over Billaud and Dupras, Becking and Alleman hold a 6 minute and 37 second advantage over KTM Spada Powered by Brenta Brakes 2, going into the final two stages. HEXATRI moved up to third on the general classification standings ahead of Singer KTM Racing’s Andreas Seewald and Jakob Hartmann, and Klimatiza Orbea.
“We know, more or less, what to expect. We know the trails; we know the course. It will be super hard, rocky again,” Alleman predicted of the racing on Krk. “So now that we have a good advantage, the most important thing for us is to keep everything together and to stay safe. We’ll look to control the race, but also to enjoy the final two days.”
Lorenzo Samparisi lost time too on Stage 2, alongside his brother Nicolas. Photo by Dunja Dopsaj.
In the UCI Women’s race, an early loss of time once again cost Bianca Haw and Vera Looser the opportunity to contest for stage honours. The Safari Essence Efficient Insure found themselves 63 seconds off the Cannondale ISB Sport team’s pace passing through Water Point 1, at the 18 kilometre mark. While this meant they had to chase, as they had done on Stage 1, the fact that Calderon and Kortekaas were out front on their own at least meant that the leaders were not benefitting from any slipstreams in the headwind.
By the halfway point in the stage, Calderon and Kortekaas had doubled their advantage, on the trails, to over 2 minutes, but in the downwind drag to the finish, Haw and Looser closed the gap significantly. Having reported struggling on Stage 1, despite winning, Kortekaas was again the Cannondale ISB Sport rider in difficulty on the Queen Stage.
The women in orange, Monica Calderon and Tessa Kortekaas won their third stage of the race on Thursday, 17 April. Photo by Dunja Dopsaj.
“Today on the Queen Stage, we wanted to create a bigger difference, but in the last part of the stage, they were closing the gap to us,” Calderon confessed. “We might have crossed the finish line first again, but it took a big effort because we could see them behind and closing. Tessa [Kortekaas] is not feeling good, but thankfully, tomorrow is a shorter stage. We are confident that we will be able to keep the lead.”
Winning the day by just 13 seconds allowed Calderon and Kortekaas to extend their overall lead to 1 minute and 29 seconds over Haw and Looser. Cannondale ISB Sport 2 were third on the day and hold the final general classification podium position too. Costanza Fasolis and Pilar Fernández could well be vital to their teammates over the coming days, especially if Kortekaas’s ailment proves to be persistent rather than just a 24-hour dip in energy.
Tessa Kortekaas endured a difficult day on the bike on Stage 2. Photo by Sam Clark.
A Kvarner trail builder. Photo by Krume Ivanovski.
Friday’s Stage 3 may be shorter, as Calderon stated, but it is not short by 4Islands Epic standards. The first of two days on Krk features a 64 kilometre route from Valbiska in the west to Baška in the southeast. Highlights of the day include the James Bond singletrack and Canyon Trail. In total, it features 1 300 metres of climbing and the iconic ferry start.
To keep up to date with the action as it unfolds on Stage 2, like the 4Islands Epic Facebook page, follow @4islandsmtb on Instagram, or subscribe to the Epic Series YouTube Channel. For more information on the event, visit www.epic-series.com/4islands.
Bianca Haw and Vera Looser lost time in the early phases of the stage but once again nearly bridged back to Cannondale ISB Sport. Photo by Sam Clark.
The Adriatic ferries transport the teams between the islands during the event. Photo by Krume Ivanovski.
2025 4Islands Epic Results
UCI Men | Stage 2:
- Buff Megamo: Hans Becking & Wout Alleman (2:53:39 )
- HEXATRI: Pierre Billaud & Théo Dupras (2:54:06 | +27)
- Klimatiza Orbea: Sebastian Gesche & Roberto Bou Martin (2:54:29 | +50)
- KTM Spada Powered by Brenta Brakes : Nicolas & Lorenzo Samparisi (2:56:21 | +2:42)
- KTM Spada Powered by Brenta Brakes 2: Nicholas Pettinà & Ramon Vantaggiato (2:57:59 | +4:20)
UCI Women | Stage 2:
- Cannondale ISB Sport : Monica Calderon & Tessa Kortekaas (3:37:15)
- Safari Essence Efficient Insure: Bianca Haw & Vera Looser (3:37:28 | +13)
- Cannondale ISB Sport 2: Costanza Fasolis & Pilar Fernández (3:37:58 | +43)
- R-Suspension Bike Syndikat Graz: Daniela Höfler & Marlies Feichtenhofer (3:55:57 | +18:42)
- Jura-Valais: Laura Tissières & Sandra Stadelmann (4:09:21 | +32:06)
Lachlan Morton is taking part in the 4Islands Epic alongside Ethiopian, Tsgabu Grmay. Photo by Krume Ivanovski.
UCI Men’s General Classification after Stage 2:
- Buff Megamo: Hans Becking & Wout Alleman (5:06:07)
- KTM Spada Powered by Brenta Brakes 2: Nicholas Pettinà & Ramon Vantaggiato (5:12:44 | +6:37)
- HEXATRI: Pierre Billaud & Théo Dupras (5:13:23 | +7:16)
- Singer KTM Racing: Andreas Seewald & Jakob Hartmann (5:15:42 | +9:35)
- Klimatiza Orbea: Sebastian Gesche & Roberto Bou Martin (5:18:44 | +12:37)
UCI Women’s General Classification after Stage 2:
- Cannondale ISB Sport : Monica Calderon & Tessa Kortekaas (6:24:43)
- Safari Essence Efficient Insure: Bianca Haw & Vera Looser (6:26:12 | +1:29)
- Cannondale ISB Sport 2: Costanza Fasolis & Pilar Fernández (6:29:45 | +5:02)
- Velo Kartell: Claudia Krenn & Nina Gunther (7:17:22 | +52:39)
- R-Suspension Bike Syndikat Graz: Daniela Höfler & Marlies Feichtenhofer (7:28:16 | +1:03:33)
Photo by Dunja Dopsaj.
