Gravel king Mohoric supports Vollering: "It's a shame that race wasn't broadcast"

The World Gravel Championship for elite men was right in Matej Mohoric's wheelhouse, as he left everyone behind in the Italian region of Veneto. In IDLProCycling.com, Bahrain Victorious' cheerful Slovenian was with him throughout the day, engaging in conversations both before and after the race.

Sunday, October 8, 2023 - 09:00 AM: Mohoric trained little on the gravel bike in recent months.

On Sunday, October 8, 2023, at 9 a.m., we arrived at a parking lot near Bandie Lake. About an hour and a half later, the starting whistle would sound for approximately 225 elite men. Mohoric and his team were also there early. The Kranj native strolled around, chatted with his support staff, took photos with everyone, and then took some time for a preview interview with this website. "Honestly, I don't ride the gravel bike very often," the fearless rider began in his preview. "During the road season, we hardly find the time for it. When I used to race in the youth and junior categories, I frequently trained offroad. But nowadays, the convenience of the road bike prevails. Although I must admit that every now and then, I take out my mountain or gravel bike to explore new roads. It's a shame I don't use my gravel bike more often, as it's a fantastic form of the sport."

Mohoric mentioned that there's a good chance he'll ride his gravel bike again next winter. The colder months are well-suited for it, especially when road races aren't on the schedule. It's all a bit more relaxed, which suits gravel cycling. On the flip side, tackling extreme gravel routes might be challenging for him because he resides in Monaco. "Trying to find suitable gravel roads there would be quite a task," he chuckled heartily.

Mohoric sees Van Aert as the absolute top favorite ("unless he gets seven punctures")

The outside world has its expectations of Mohoric in the context of the World Cup, but how does he actually feel about it 90 minutes into the race? "Of course, it's still relatively new. You can't compare training sessions to actual races. Naturally, I'll give it my all. I'm highly motivated to achieve a good result. It's going to be challenging. I believe the seasoned gravel specialists excel at this, even though only 50 percent of the route consists of gravel sections. It's also highly technical, so those riders have an advantage."

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Mohoric, Gianni Vermeersch and Van Aert prior to 2023 gravel World Cup

The course mapped out throughout the Prosecco region included several challenging obstacles, including some demanding ascents: the Nogarolo wall (700 meters at an average gradient of 11.6 percent), the Ca' del Poggio wall (1.2 kilometers at an average gradient of 12.2 percent), and the San Vigilio wall (300 meters at an average gradient of 15.6 percent) are just a few examples from the extensive list of formidable challenges. While many cycling fans might assume that such a course would favor someone like Mohoric, the modest Slovenian was cautious not to jump to conclusions. "That may be true, but I expect the technical sections to be quite demanding. However, I'm not one to shy away from a challenge. Let's put it this way: it wouldn't surprise me if I perform well, but it also wouldn't surprise me if I have a bad day!" laughed the 2022 Milan-Sanremo winner.

On most favorites' lists, Wout van Aert was identified as the man to beat. Mohoric shared this sentiment. "He stands head and shoulders above the rest," he praised the Jumbo-Visma rider. "He has demonstrated in recent weeks that his form is excellent. Moreover, he has a wealth of experience on gravel. I believe he can only lose. So, I think he's the clear favorite to win, unless he suffers seven punctures," he concluded the morning interview with an equally telling remark.

Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023 - 3:15 p.m.: Mohoric backs down on "shit" statement

Mohoric may come across as extremely modest, but he leaves that modesty behind when he's on the bike. The compatriot of Tadej Pogacar and Primoz Roglic maintained a strong pace throughout the day, encountering little bad luck. He eventually found himself in an elite group alongside Florian Vermeersch and Connor Swift. Swift was the first to drop off, unable to keep up with Mohoric's acceleration on the slopes of the Le Serre climb. Later, five more riders joined them after Vermeersch experienced chain failure and had to briefly dismount. Mohoric didn't falter, although he did have a literal fall. Three kilometers from the finish, he slid, fortunately without serious consequences. The overall victory was secured, and the gold medal went to Slovenia.

Amidst all the excitement, Mohoric managed to answer two questions for IDLProCycling.com. Naturally, his earlier "shit" quote from that morning came up. "Maybe that wasn't the most useful statement, haha. What I really meant was that I just didn't know what to expect and where I stood. But all in all, I had a fantastic day today." According to Mohoric, the value of his gravel title will only increase in the years to come. "This is a wonderful achievement, especially because gravel racing will become even more popular in the future. More and more people are discovering this discipline. I am incredibly proud of this accomplishment."

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Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023 - 4 p.m.: Mohoric makes the case for women's cycling ("not broadcasting was really a shame")

Dressed in his rainbow jersey, Mohoric, accompanied by the runner-up Vermeersch, entered the press room. There, he once again answered questions from the cycling newsroom, including IDLProCycling.com. "Where do I rank this win? Very high on my list. I'd say second, right after my victory in Milan-Sanremo. It was an incredible feeling to win here, especially considering the formidable field of participants. The course today was stunning," he praised the picturesque Venetian landscape. "Moreover, there was an enormous crowd along the route, which provided great motivation."

"Since the Tour de France, my form has had its ups and downs. So, today was a bit of a guessing game for me," he continued, referring to the challenging 169-kilometer race in northeastern Italy. Mohoric made his move on one of the steep climbs, distancing Vermeersch. "Florian was incredibly strong on the flats as well as on the climbs. However, I knew I had to capitalize on those climbs because I'm much lighter than Florian. I went full throttle and hoped to create a gap. I succeeded, so I'm thrilled with that."

Finally, Mohoric addressed an issue that arose the day before. The elite women raced on Saturday, October 7, but there was no live coverage of their event. Demi Vollering, in particular, took it upon herself to raise awareness. "I hope we never have to experience something like this again. I thought the discussion about broadcasting women's races was settled, but apparently, that's not the case," said the Dutchwoman, who found support from Mohoric. "It was truly disappointing. Women's cycling is becoming more professional and gaining momentum. The women inspire many young girls to take up cycling, and the level is continuously rising. In three to five years, it will be on par with men's cycling."

Mohoric at press conference