The Croatian road cycling event will bring together previous winners and a record number of participants on Saturday. There are three distances to choose from, with the decision made during the race. The race starts at 7.00 am at the historic city walls of Poreč.
Federspiel and Lakata in the Istria300 starting line-up
Daniel Federspiel from Austria won the Istria300 in 2025 in a time of 8 hours, 42 minutes and 18 seconds. The winner of the 2025 Ötztaler Cycle Marathon is returning to Poreč. Alban Lakata, three-time mountain bike marathon world champion and winner of the 2024 race, will also be competing. Tadej Sedar from Slovenia completes the trio of former winners. He triumphed in 2023 in a time of 8:57:07. Federspiel explains that the event is the perfect end to the season for him. He is looking forward to riding this route again.
Rupitsch with a unique record
Valerie Rupitsch from Austria won the Istria300 in 2025 in a time of 9:39:02 hours. She is the only person to have won all three distances of the event. In 2023 she won the Istria209, and in 2024 the Istria135. Rupitsch describes the event as the highlight and the finale of her season. She says the last few months have not been easy, but she will give it her all on Sunday to defend her title. The outcome will be revealed at the finish line.
Three distances to choose from
The Istria300 covers 302 kilometres with 5,300 metres of elevation gain. The Istria209 measures 209 kilometres with 3,300 metres of elevation gain, whilst the Istria135 covers 134.5 kilometres with 1,800 metres of elevation gain. All participants set off together from Poreč. The decision on which distance to tackle is made during the ride, in keeping with the motto ‘Ride Your Limits’. The entire route is closed to motor traffic. The start and finish are situated right by the Adriatic Sea. The last finisher is expected to arrive at around 7.00 pm at sunset.
Istria300 supporting programme
The Bike Centre Poreč offers daily guided road cycling tours during the week before and after the event. These are free of charge for all Istria300 participants. On 1 October, the Istria300 Dawn Patrol will set off from the Bike Centre at 5.30 am. The format was introduced in Poreč in 2024 and has also been held in Austria since 2025. In Klagenfurt, the Schwimm Aktiv Club organises the rides, whilst in Tobelbad it is the RST Tobelbad. The Austrian Dawn Patrol community comprises up to 60 participants. Of the 2,561 Austrian Istria300 participants, 1,014 come from Styria and 791 from Carinthia. Istria300 Ambassador Nici Schmidhofer takes part in the Dawn Patrol in Austria herself.
Ladies Squad Istria300
The Istria300 Ladies Squad invites you to join them on 1 October from 2.30 pm for a chance to chat and swap tips on road cycling. This will be followed by their own social ride, and in the evening the Squad will be taking to the stage from 5.30 pm. On 2 October, a social ride with the Istria300 Ambassadors will set off from the Bike Centre in Poreč at 1.00 pm. From 5.00 pm, the Ambassadors will be introduced on stage: Martin Koch, Alban Lakata, Daniel Federspiel, Christoph Sumann, Klemen Bauer, Manfred Mölgg, Nici Schmidhofer, Marcela Joglová, Paul Verbnjak and Andreas Meklau.
Kristian Bauer
Editor
