Granfondo Roonda Stubaki 4.0 brings together hundreds of cyclists in Stubičke Toplice and Zagorje on May 10

Granfondo Roonda Stubaki 4.0 returns on May 10: Stubičke Toplice and Zagorje expect a major international cycling weekend

The recreational cycling race Granfondo Roonda Stubaki 4.0 will take place on Sunday, May 10, 2026, with the start at 10:45 a.m. in Maksimilijan Vrhovac Park in Stubičke Toplice, and according to the latest data from the organizers, it is an event that this year again confirms Zagorje’s ambition to position itself as a recognizable continental outdoor destination. At the heart of the story is not only the sporting challenge, but also a broader tourism framework: the race passes through an area that has been systematically developing its cycling offer for years, and participants and their companions are attracted not only by the kilometers and climbs, but also by the experience of staying in a region known for its spas, green hills, and easily accessible weekend programs from Zagreb and the surrounding area. For visitors planning to stay more than one day, it may be especially useful to check in advance accommodation offers in Stubičke Toplice, because events like this regularly increase demand in the destination itself and neighboring towns.

One route, a demanding profile, and a race open to recreational riders and licensed cyclists

According to the official information published for the race, Granfondo Roonda Stubaki 2026 is conceived as a single hilly road race through the heart of Krapina-Zagorje County, intended for recreational riders, but also for licensed competitors who want to ride an organized and safety-covered route. In the original announcements for this year’s edition, a section of 105.1 kilometers with 1,244 meters of elevation difference is stated, while the current registration page describes the race as a route of approximately 100 kilometers with more than one thousand meters of climbing. That difference does not change the essence of the event: it is a serious recreational road race that requires participants to have good preparation, strength distribution, and experience riding on open roads. The organizers emphasize that the race is ridden on public roads that will not be completely closed to traffic, which means that complying with traffic rules, riding on the right-hand side, and wearing a mandatory protective helmet are an integral part of the concept of the event itself, and not merely a formal note in the rules.

Such a format particularly corresponds to a trend that has been strengthening in recent years both in Croatia and in the wider Central European area: recreational cycling is no longer merely a hobby of smaller local communities, but a form of sports tourism that combines a competitive element, an active stay in nature, and spending in the destination. The Granfondo format has additional appeal because it addresses a wide circle of riders, from serious amateurs to recreational cyclists who want to test their own limits on an organized, measurable, and logistically supported route. That is precisely why it is not unusual that this year’s edition mentions the arrival of participants from Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Italy, Hungary, and Austria, giving the race an international character that goes beyond the framework of a local sporting event.

Stubičke Toplice as the start, finish, and tourism base of the event

Stubičke Toplice were not chosen by chance. The place already has a recognizable identity in health, wellness, and excursion tourism, and its transport accessibility and location at the foot of the Zagorje hills give it a logical role as a base for cycling and other outdoor activities. When destination infrastructure is added to a sporting event, the result is a model that is especially valuable for continental tourism: participants do not come only to “ride the race,” but can combine a sporting performance with a weekend stay, a family trip, or a short holiday. That is why many will find it useful to look in time at accommodation near the event location, especially if they plan to collect their starter pack on Saturday, arrive with companions, or stay briefly after the race.

For the municipality itself and the wider Zagorje region, such an event has a multiple effect. First, it increases the visibility of the destination outside the summer coastal season and confirms that continental Croatia can offer reasons to visit that are not connected to the sea. Second, it creates content that distributes tourism activity more evenly throughout the year, and this is precisely one of the goals of public policies that encourage the development of less tourism-developed areas. Third, it includes a series of local stakeholders, from organizers and volunteers to hospitality providers, renters, and support services, so the effect is not only promotional but also economic. At a time when sustainability and the dispersion of tourist traffic are being discussed more and more often, events like Roonda show how active tourism can function as a concrete development tool, and not just as a marketing label.

Organizers expect strong interest, and the upper limit has been raised to 400 participants

This year’s edition is organized by the Tourist Board of Krapina-Zagorje County and the Tourist Board of the Municipality of Stubičke Toplice, with the Municipality of Stubičke Toplice as co-organizer. Initial announcements mentioned that more than 300 participants from several countries in the region and Central Europe were expected. However, the current official registration page goes a step further and states that the number of places is limited to 400 participants, which clearly shows that the organizers are counting on an even broader response for the fourth edition and want to keep the event within a framework that can be managed with quality. The limited number of places is also a signal to riders not to leave registration until the last moment, because for races of this type it is often the final week that is decisive.

The deadline for registration and payment is set for May 8, 2026 at 23:59, or until capacity is reached. The official website also published the entry fee categories: early bird registrations ran from February 12 to April 6 at a price of 37.50 euros, regular registrations from April 7 to April 27 at 47.50 euros, and the same amount also applies to late registrations from April 28 to May 8. For clubs and groups with at least five participants, a discount of five euros per person is provided in the early bird and regular period, with the deadline for group registrations by April 27. This confirms that the organizers are targeting not only individual recreational riders, but also clubs, associations, and smaller teams that come to the event in an organized manner, which further strengthens the tourism and social effect of the event.

What participants receive and how the logistics are organized

Official data show that this year’s package for competitors is conceived as a combination of sporting and promotional value. The starter pack includes a T-shirt and socks with the race markings, a meal voucher, a feed zone, a finisher’s medal, electronic timekeeping, a race number, official results, technical and medical support, as well as sponsor gifts. Such a package is today the standard of more serious recreational races, but at the same time it also shows that the organizers want to maintain the level of experience because of which participants return year after year. Cyclists do not come only for placement, but also for the feeling that they are taking part in an event that has identity, a clear atmosphere, and a recognizable local stamp.

Collection of starter packs has been organized at several times, which further facilitates arrival for competitors from other cities and countries. One time slot is planned in Zagreb on May 6, and then on May 9 and on the day of the race itself in Stubičke Toplice, in Maksimilijan Vrhovac Park. Participants must arrive at the start no later than 15 minutes before the beginning, while the first starting zone is reserved for riders with UCI licenses. The maximum time to finish the race is five hours, after which participants, according to the organizers’ rules, continue at their own responsibility and are no longer included in the official ranking. These rules are not unusual for events of this type, but they are important for anyone planning to participate without a clear assessment of their own form.

Safety on the course and organizational seriousness as the key to participants’ trust

In races on public roads, safety is one of the main tests of organizational credibility. According to the rules published for this year’s edition, all participants must comply with traffic regulations, ride on the right-hand side of the road, and wear a protective helmet at all times. The organizer provides a so-called “broom vehicle,” that is, support that closes the column and serves as assistance to participants who fall behind or withdraw. In addition, the official website states technical and medical support, which is a necessary standard for this kind of event, especially when the race takes place on a demanding route and with the participation of a large number of riders of varying levels of preparation.

That the safety and logistical part of the story is not merely declarative was also shown by last year’s edition. According to the report published after the 2025 race, 315 competitors registered for the start at that time, and 281 of them took to the route through a series of Zagorje towns. Volunteers from volunteer fire brigades, police officers, motorcycle marshals, service and support vehicles participated in the organization and safety, which left a strong impression on the participants. The organizers then additionally emphasized that the race had been conceived as a two-day cycling celebration with accompanying content, from a children’s virtual race to a vintage cycling ride and an exhibition of old bicycles. It is precisely this combination of competition and festival atmosphere that could this year again be one of the reasons why Granfondo Roonda Stubaki is growing into an event followed beyond the sporting circle itself.

Why Roonda is important beyond the cycling community

At first glance, it is a specialized sports-recreational event, but its real significance is much broader. Croatia has for a longer time been trying to strengthen continental tourism through authentic content that can become a motive for visiting, and not merely an addition to the existing offer. It is precisely into this framework that the fact fits that funds for the implementation of the Granfondo Roonda Stubaki 2026 project have been secured from the Fund for Tourism Underdeveloped Areas and the Continent of the Croatian Tourist Board. On the official pages of the Croatian Tourist Board, this fund is described as an instrument that encourages a more balanced development of tourism, the development of selective forms of offer, and the organization of events that can strongly motivate the arrival of guests. In translation, the state and the tourism system are counting on such events having a measurable effect on the visibility and attendance of continental destinations.

In the case of Stubičke Toplice and Zagorje, that effect has additional weight because the region already has a combination of natural, cultural, and wellness content that makes a cycling event a logical gateway into a broader tourism experience. Participants can come because of the race and stay because of the landscape, gastronomy, thermal offer, or a short holiday. The same applies to companions who do not participate on the bicycle, but use the weekend for an excursion. That is why it is not irrelevant that, alongside the increasingly frequent mention of the destination in a promotional sense, the question of practical preparation for arrival is also opening up, so some visitors will certainly check in time accommodation for visitors in Zagorje, especially if they want to avoid a one-day trip in the early morning hours before the start.

The international response gives the event additional weight

The announcement of the arrival of participants from Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Italy, Hungary, and Austria shows that Roonda is no longer only a local race with a regional echo. Such an international composition is important for at least two reasons. The first is sporting: greater competition raises the level of the race itself and makes it more attractive to more ambitious recreational riders and clubs. The second is promotional: each foreign participant also carries with them the effect of informal promotion of the destination, whether through social networks, club channels, or personal recommendations. For continental destinations that do not have the mass character of the coastal season, such organic promotion channels are often the most valuable, because they combine the experience of the event and the experience of the place.

This is especially important at a time when tourists, including sports travelers, are increasingly looking for smaller and clearly defined events, and not necessarily the largest and most massive manifestations. Granfondo Roonda Stubaki is building its identity precisely in that niche: large enough to be a serious international event, and sufficiently locally rooted to retain the atmosphere of community, a recognizable landscape, and an impression of authenticity. Such a balance is not easy to achieve, but it is precisely what in the long term decides whether the race will develop into a tradition that attracts a new audience and brings the old one back.

Practical information for participants and visitors

• Race date: May 10, 2026
• Start: 10:45 a.m.
• Start and finish location: Maksimilijan Vrhovac Park, Stubičke Toplice
• Organizers: Tourist Board of Krapina-Zagorje County and Tourist Board of the Municipality of Stubičke Toplice
• Co-organizer: Municipality of Stubičke Toplice
• Registrations and payments: until May 8, 2026 at 23:59 or until capacity is filled
• Participant limit: 400
• Right to participate: registered and paid participants; for ages 16 to 18, written consent from a parent or guardian is required
• Mandatory equipment and rules: protective helmet, compliance with traffic regulations, riding on the right-hand side of the road
• Maximum time to finish the race: 5 hours

All this means that on May 10, sport, tourism, and local promotion will once again come together in Stubičke Toplice in a format that is becoming increasingly important for continental Croatia. Granfondo Roonda Stubaki 4.0 does not offer only another date on the calendar of cycling events, but also an exemplary example of how a destination’s identity can be built through a well-designed recreational race, how guests from several countries can be attracted, and how Zagorje can show that it has content capable of competing with far better-known European cycle tourism routes.

Sources:
- Utrka.com – official registration page with the race date, schedule, rules, entry fee prices, participant limit, and information about the organizers (link)
- Zagorje Outdoor – official event page confirming the date, venue, and basic description of the race (link)
- Stubaki Outdoor – official project page with additional information about the event and the organizers (link)
- Visit Zagorje – report on the Granfondo Roonda Stubaki 2025 edition with data on turnout, route, and organization of last year’s race (link)
- Croatian Tourist Board – description of the Fund for Tourism Underdeveloped Areas and the Continent and the goals of financing events and projects of continental tourism (link)