Matej Mohoric

This is the page about Matej Mohorič, a Slovenian cyclist riding for Bahrain Victorious. A specialist in the classics and a master descender, he has successfully showcased his skills on numerous occasions, most notably winning the prestigious cycling classic Milan-San Remo. IDLProCycling.com keeps a close eye on all news related to Mohorič, along with maintaining a biography of his career.

Matej Mohoric

Mohorič impresses early on with his descent skills

At just eighteen years old, Matej Mohorič started as a first-year U23 rider at the 2013 World Championships in Florence. In a field featuring riders like Simon Yates, Julian Alaphilippe, and Caleb Ewan, he was far from being the only favorite for the rainbow jersey. Early in the race, he broke away from the peloton and impressively held on. He did this by introducing a groundbreaking descending technique, one that would later be banned. Sitting on the top tube and pedaling, he created such an aerodynamic advantage that no one could catch up with him on the descents. He held his own on the climbs and brilliantly stormed to a well-deserved world title. In 2014, he signed a contract in the WorldTour with Cannondale.

In his first years as a professional, Mohorič struggled to achieve victories. He went winless throughout 2014 and 2015. His first professional win came at the end of 2016 in the Tour of Hainan, winning the sixth stage, by then wearing the jersey of Lampre-Merida. This marked the beginning of a successful professional career. With UAE Team Emirates, he won a stage in the 2017 Vuelta a España, and in 2018, representing Bahrain Merida, he won a stage in the Giro d'Italia and the BinckBank Tour. His career was taking shape, and in the Middle East, he found his footing.

Mohorič excels in Tour de France and Milan-San Remo

After stage wins in the Giro and Vuelta, the time came for triumphs in the Tour de France. In 2021, the Slovenian achieved his goal. In the hard-fought seventh stage to Le Creusot, he was part of the early breakaway. Wout van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel, Kasper Asgreen, and other big names were also in the mix. The Slovenian champion dominated that stage, winning with a substantial margin over Jasper Stuyven and Magnus Cort. He added more sparkle to his Tour performance by also claiming the nineteenth stage to Libourne. Again part of a significant breakaway, he put his competitors a minute behind. Later that year, he finished second in the Tour of Poland and the Benelux Tour.

In 2022, before Milan-San Remo, everyone talked about Wout van Aert, the return of Mathieu van der Poel, and Tadej Pogačar's classics campaign. Mohorič wasn't the focus, and nobody expected him to have found a brilliant loophole before the monument. On the Poggio di Sanremo, the top favorites pressured each other and troubled the sprinters. Mohorič stayed close and capitalized on the cat-and-mouse game. He took the lead in the descent and flew downhill, leaving everyone else behind, and arrived solo in San Remo. His secret? A dropper post, typically used in mountain biking to shift the center of gravity for faster cornering. By combining innovation with technique and form, Mohorič memorably claimed Milan-San Remo.

Ups and downs for Mohorič

Later in the spring, he achieved notable finishes in the E3 Saxo Classic, Gent-Wevelgem, and Paris-Roubaix, but for the remainder of 2022, Mohorič struggled to find the success that characterizes a winner like him. Despite securing places of honor in races like Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, Strade Bianche, and Milan-San Remo in early 2023, he remained without a victory, which increasingly frustrated the Slovenian.

This dry spell broke with a victory in the final stage of the Tour of Slovenia, unleashing a wave of success. In the Tour de France, he secured another triumphant stage win, an emotional moment for Mohorič. His winning momentum continued weeks later with a victory in the overall classification of the Tour of Poland, a stage in the Renewi Tour and CRO Race, and most notably, the World Gravel Championship. In Veneto, his expert bike handling and strong time-trialing abilities propelled him ahead of the competition. Heading into 2024, Mohorič can proudly wear the rainbow jersey in gravel racing, a significant achievement for an enthusiast like him.