Hans Becking and Wout Alleman were in no mood to give any of their rivals a gift on Stage 3 of the 4Islands Epic, as the Buff Megamo combination won their fourth successive stage of the 2025 race. The men in yellow outsprinted Metallurgica Veneta MTB Pro 2 and KTM Spada Powered by Brenta Brakes to keep their perfect record rolling. Cannondale ISB Sport’s run of victories also continued on Krk. Monica Calderon and Tessa Kortekaas added 6 minutes and 25 seconds to their lead to effectively put overall victory beyond Safari Essence Efficient Insure.

Despite it being Good Friday, Buff Megamo took a “no presents” policy into the penultimate stage of the 2025 4Islands Epic, on Krk. Friday, 18 April, saw the men in the yellow CIOVITA jerseys continue their winning streak, though Hans Becking and Wout Alleman had to win from a complex six-rider, three-team sprint to do so. UCI Women’s race leaders Monica Calderon and Tessa Kortekaas put any questions about the latter’s fatigue behind them to win by their most emphatic margin of the week.

Stage 3 of the 4Islands Epic has historically featured the iconic ferry start, and in 2025, the stage began from the boat in the harbour of Valbiska. The 64-kilometre route, with 1 300 metres of climbing, then took the teams on an arduous journey south. Fortunately, the southeasterly winds which gusted throughout the first three days of the event calmed for the day, and the teams were not faced with an all-day headwind. Nonetheless, the course to Baška was not easy, especially with its near 40 kilometre climb from Camp Ježevac to the highest point of the Moon Plateau.

Though it was not all relentlessly uphill, for that period, it was a gradual and inexorable trend upwards. This suited Calderon and Kortekaas as they were able to turn a 20 second advantage after 17 kilometres into an 85 second lead after 31 and eventually to what should be a stage race-winning 6 minutes and 25 seconds margin of victory.

Tessa Kortekaas

Tessa Kortekaas was strong on Stage 3, feeling good again after two slightly flat days. Photo by Dunja Dopsaj.

Kortekaas had started the stage, nervous of what the day might hold. “Yesterday was hard for me – I will only know once I am on the bike if I have the legs today or not,” the Spanish Marathon Champion said on the start line. It was, however, clear from early on that she had the legs to not only win the stage but also to claim the time she and Calderon needed to convert their good lead to a dominant one.

“Stage 1 was quite a tough one for me,” Kortekaas explained after Stage 3. “It was very short and explosive. So, I think I spent a lot of energy, built up a lot of fatigue, and I had to pay it off yesterday. I didn’t feel great, although better than the first stage. But I felt like I had to control, and I just had one speed. I couldn’t go faster, but not slower either. In the end, we saved the day. Today, I’m very happy with the feelings. Much, much better than the past two days. I had power, feeling strong from the beginning to the end.”

Monica Calderon

Monica Calderon and Tess Kortekaas added over 6 minutes to their general classification lead on the penultimate day of the 2025 race.Photo by Samir Ceric Kovacevic.

“We were feeling confident out on the trails with the gap we made, because I knew with the speed and the power we were pushing, the others wouldn’t be able to follow,” she continued. Kortekaas’s assessment proved entirely accurate, and heading into the final stage, the Cannondale ISB Sport team lead Bianca Haw and Vera Looser, who were second on the day, by 7 minutes and 54 seconds. Costanza Fasolis and Pilar Fernández, of Cannondale ISB Sport 2, are third.

“Eight minutes. Wow. So yeah, a lot of confidence for tomorrow,” Kortekaas smiled. “The best thing about having such a big gap is that it acts as insurance against all the things which can still happen. Now we feel a bit safer, and on the downhills, we can take it easy and not take too much risk. So yeah, we’re looking forward to the last stage, to keeping the jerseys on our shoulders and bringing it home.”

Safari Essence Efficient Insure

Safari Essence Efficient Insure’s Bianca Haw and Vera Looser find themselves 7:54 down going into Stage 4.Photo by Samir Ceric Kovacevic.

The UCI Men’s race was a much closer affair on Stage 3. “Today again, we went really, really fast from the start, and then I don’t really know what the other teams’ tactics were. It was like fast, slow, fast, slow and for the whole time it was a bit painful,” Becking explained, of how he and Alleman ended up going to the line with the Metallurgica Veneta MTB Pro 2 and the KTM Spada Powered by Brenta Brakes teams. “But then we went to the finish, I said to Wout [Alleman], presents are for Christmas, so then we’re going to sprint the guys and go full gas.

“I started the sprint in last position, which was not perfect, but I saw this yellow guy [referring to Alleman] at the front of the group, and I knew I needed to beat him to the line! That was the motivation.”

Buff Megamo

Despite their smiles Hans Becking and Wout Alleman were not in a giving mood on Stage 3.Photo by Samir Ceric Kovacevic.

The victory was Buff Megamo’s fourth of the race. Jacopo Billi and Andrea Candeago were second over the line, just ahead of Nicolas and Lorenzo Samparisi. The HEXATRI and Klimatiza Orbea had a sprint of their own for fourth, with Pierre Billaud and Théo Dupras winning out over Sebastian Gesche and Roberto Bou Martin. Becking and Alleman’s closest general classification rivals, KTM Spada Powered by Brenta Brakes 2, were sixth on the day, ceding 68 seconds.

Going into the final stage, Becking and Alleman thus lead Nicholas Pettinà and Ramon Vantaggiato by 7 minutes and 45 seconds. Billaud and Dupras are another 30 seconds back in third and will be looking to move up on Stage 4.

4Islands MTB

The riding on Krk is less rocky than it has been on Cres and Lošinj. Photo by Samir Ceric Kovacevic.

The final day of the tenth edition of 4Islands Epic also takes place on Krk. Its 71-kilometre route starts and finishes in the harbour of Baška. The first climb of the stage is a challenging ascent to the Moon Plateau right above Baška Bay and could well split the field within the first 5 kilometres. If it does not the climb to the Chapel of St. Kristofor and the final ascent of the race provide the opportunity for would-be stage winners to make a difference. The final 12 kilometres are all downhill, and if teams start the descent together, there is every chance of another sprint finish.

To keep up to date with the action on the last day of the race, 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.

4Islands Epic

Stage 3 started on the ferry in the Valbiska Harbour.Photo by Samir Ceric Kovacevic.

2025 4Islands Epic Results

UCI Men | Stage 3:

  1. Buff Megamo: Hans Becking & Wout Alleman (2:33:19)
  2. Metallurgica Veneta MTB Pro 2: Jacopo Billi & Andrea Candeago (2:33:19 | +0)
  3. KTM Spada Powered by Brenta Brakes: Nicolas & Lorenzo Samparisi (2:33:20 | +1)
  4. HEXATRI: Pierre Billaud & Théo Dupras (2:34:18 | +59)
  5. Klimatiza Orbea: Sebastian Gesche & Roberto Bou Martin (2:34:18 | +59)

UCI Women | Stage 3:

  1. Cannondale ISB Sport: Monica Calderon & Tessa Kortekaas (3:03:54)
  2. Safari Essence Efficient Insure: Bianca Haw & Vera Looser (3:10:19 |+6:25)
  3. Cannondale ISB Sport 2: Costanza Fasolis & Pilar Fernández (3:11:49 | +7:55)
  4. Velo Kartell: Claudia Krenn & Nina Gunther (3:35:22 | +31:28)
  5. Jura-Valais: Laura Tissières & Sandra Stadelmann (3:35:22 | +31:28)
4Islands Epic

The Stevens x Innovation House winding their way through the Canyon Trail. Photo by Samir Ceric Kovacevic.

UCI Men’s General Classification after Stage 3:

  1. Buff Megamo: Hans Becking & Wout Alleman (7:39:26)
  2. KTM Spada Powered by Brenta Brakes 2: Nicholas Pettinà & Ramon Vantaggiato (7:47:11 | +7:45)
  3. HEXATRI: Pierre Billaud & Théo Dupras (7:47:41 | +8:15)
  4. Klimatiza Orbea: Sebastian Gesche & Roberto Bou Martin (7:53:02 | +13:36)
  5. Singer KTM Racing: Andreas Seewald & Jakob Hartmann (7:53:36 | +14:10)

UCI Women’s General Classification after Stage 3:

  1. Cannondale ISB Sport: Monica Calderon & Tessa Kortekaas (9:28:37)
  2. Safari Essence Efficient Insure: Bianca Haw & Vera Looser (9:36:31 | +7:54)
  3. Cannondale ISB Sport 2: Costanza Fasolis & Pilar Fernández (9:41:34 | +12:57)
  4. Velo Kartell: Claudia Krenn & Nina Gunther (10:52:44 | +1:24:07)
  5. Slovak National Team: Janka Keseg Stevkova & Martina Krahulcova (11:07:44 | +1:39:07)
4Islands Epic

Photo by Samir Ceric Kovacevic.