A PROFESSIONAL cyclist from Capel Dewi has taken the overall win at CRO Race.

Bahrain-Victorious rider Stevie Williams moved into the lead on the penultimate queen stage after fantastic teamwork, and Stevie’s solo effort won the stage.

And on the final day, despite attacks from contenders, Stevie showed strength and sprinted to second to secure the GC.

Croatia’s CRO Race is part of the UCI Europe Tour

After the first overall win of his career, Williams said: “You never start a day expecting for sure, but I was confident in myself and in my team who did an excellent ride, and as a team, we were fantastic all day.

“It was a lot harder stage than I predicted.”

The 25-year-old who turned pro with Bahrain-Victorious in 2019 but has struggled with injuries, limiting the results he’s been able to achieve, added: “In the end, it was pretty tactical the way it all happened, but all stage, it was pretty demanding, windy, quite technical, lots of changes of directions.

“My teammates brought me perfectly to the circuit and gave me the best chance to stay safe and go for myself.

“As a team, we did a great job the whole week, and I am proud to be a part of it. This win is a team victory.”Stevie is part of the Bahrain-Victorious team that will race at the one-day GranPiemonte this Thursday.The race is usually designed for the fast men, like this 105th edition, with a course almost flat that will run from Rocca Canavese to Borgosesia (168 km) in the Piedmont Region, Italy.An initial hilly but not demanding part shouldn’t prevent the sprinter’s teams from efficiently controlling the breakaway to finish in a bunch sprint, after the final 35 km circuit that doesn’t feature particular difficulties or technical sections.The team will be led byS onny Colbrelli following his heroic win at Paris-Roubaix.Alberto Volpi, Bahrain Victorious SD said: “All our riders will have the role to support the captain Sonny Colbrelli.“He’s coming from the biggest success of his career and a very demanding race as the Roubaix.“Therefore obviously, how he has recovered will be crucial.“But the race suits him, and our goal is the win.“To take it, we will try to race intelligently, avoiding stressful situations for our leader, protecting him throughout the race so that he can save energies for the final sprint.”Bahrain Victorious lineup for GranPiemonte: Sonny Colbrelli, Stevie Williams, Santiago Buitrago, Domen Novak, Mark Padun, Hermann Pernsteiner, Dylan Teuns