Monty Rigby, riding in his first year elite with the Austrian squad Tirol KTM Cycling Team, is fitting in well with the big boys.
The British Columbia rider, a talented time triallist who won the 2025 junior nationals and finished an impressive 15th at the worlds, joined the Continental outfit in March and has wasted little time getting up to speed in Europe.
On Slovenia
His latest result, sixth at the Grand Prix of Slovenian Istria, showed he’s already comfortable in the chaos of European racing.
Held on March 22, the UCI race in Izola covered 165.3 km across the Slovenian coast and countryside, taking in Strunjan, Lucija, Sečovlje, Dragonja and Šmarje before returning to Izola for a series of finishing circuits.
Riders tackled four longer laps before three shorter, more technical laps in town, setting up a hectic run-in to the line.
Rigby said the decisive moments came well before the finish.
“My race went really well. The circuit had three climbs and we did four laps. I was pleased with how I felt among the group on the climb,” Rigby said. “Then the descent was narrow and a lot more technical than we thought because the roads were super slippy. There were big gaps forming on the descent every lap so it was important to crest the climb in the top 10.”
By the time the race hit the final laps in Izola, positioning became everything.
“Coming into the finish it was pretty hectic and everyone was pretty tired. We did three laps of a small finishing circuit which was pretty technical — it felt like a crit so it was very familiar and I was feeling comfortable staying near the front,” he said. “In the end I found myself in a great position round the last corner and tried to sprint as best as I could.”
Italian Nicolò Buratti (MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort) took the win.
It was enough for sixth on the day, and another sign that the step up to the elite ranks is already starting to click.