Croatian Cycling in Crisis: Coach Warns of Driver Shortage

Croatian cycling is facing a crisis, with a severe shortage of professional riders and juniors, according to Antonio Barać, a cycling coach who recently participated in an advanced coaching program funded by the International Olympic Committee and the Croatian Olympic Committee.

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If I had a scale for rating from one to ten, it would be two in Croatia. Maybe many people don't see it, but when we look at the number of professional riders we currently have and the number of juniors and other categories, it's very few.

Barać, who previously competed professionally before transitioning to coaching, described the state of cycling in Croatia as a "two out of ten" on a scale of one to ten. He highlighted that Croatia currently has only one rider in the World Tour, Fran Miholjević, and one in the Continental Tour, Nikolas Gojković. This starkly contrasts with Italy, which boasts over 2700 registered junior cyclists.

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Croatian cycling is currently surviving because, simply put, there is a lack of drivers.

The core issue, Barać explained, is the lack of individuals dedicated to long-term planning and development within Croatian cycling. He recalled the era of prominent Croatian World Tour riders like Matija Kvasina, Kristijan Đurasek, Robert Kišerlovski, and Vladimir Miholjević, who emerged from a single professional team, Loborika. Barać believes the solution is straightforward: establishing a professional team in Croatia that can nurture young talent, preventing them from seeking opportunities abroad in Slovenia, Hungary, or Italy, where they face intense competition from local riders.

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The plan is, therefore, simple. We just need one professional team so that children who were good as juniors don't go looking for a team in Slovenia or Hungary but stay in Croatia and race with their domestic team.