Paul Magnier pulls off a poker at CROrace. The 21-year-old French rider in Soudal Quick-Step jersey won the fifth stage of the Croatian competition, crossing the finish line in Sveta Nedelja with a joyful scream. Second place went to Portuguese rider Rui Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) and third place to Pau Miquel (Equipo Kern Pharma), leaving Edoardo Zambanini (Bahrain - Victorious) behind.

The race, which started from Karlovac and covered a total distance of 150 kilometers, was enlivened by Samuel Bertolli (Solution Tech), Swann Gloux (Arkéa - B&B Hôtels), Michał Żelazowski, Casper van der Woude (Metec – SOLARWATT), Axel Van Der Tuuk (Metec - SOLARWATT P/B Mantel) and Martin Voltr (ATT Investments). The group of six attackers then split, with two Dutch riders from Metec SolarWatt and the Czech rider from Att Investments remaining at the front.

At the foot of the Plešivica climb, the group was reported to be 1'40" behind the breakaway, from which van der Woude soon detached and was then caught by the peloton led by INEOS Grenadiers' Kwiatkowski. With a burst just before the climb's summit, van der Tuuk dropped his companion Voltr and continued alone for a short while before being caught by the peloton.

After the mountain grand prix won by Magnus Sheffield, the group remained compact until the final finish line in Sveta Nedelja, where the strong French sprinter claimed the 19th victory of his young career.

Tomorrow, CROrace will have its final stage with a 156-kilometer route between Samobor and Zagreb. There, barring any unthinkable turnarounds, McNulty will toast to the overall victory.