Matej Mohorič won a third Tour de France stage in his career and secured a third stage for Team Bahrain Victorious at this year’s edition following the victories of Pello Bilbao and Wout Poels.
The Slovenian rider known for his art of winning from the breakaway had to be patient to eventually make it in the winning move. The first breakaway that formed included Jack Haig, but later a group of over 30 riders broke from the peloton, which included Mohorič and Wright, which was when the peloton allowed the break to go as they sat up.
From there, Mohorič put in an attack with 30km to go along with Ben O’Connor (AG2R-Citroën) and Stage 18 winner Kasper Asgreen. They quickly worked together to get a gap of 30″ and collaborated to make that the decisive move to the line. Leading up to the sprint, O’Connor went long while Mohorič followed the wheel of Asgreen and threw his bike to the line. It was decided by a photo finish with Mohorič clinching it by millimetres.
Mohorič commented: “It’s super emotional for me. It’s been a hard month for us all, and it’s been a rollercoaster. This has been an incredibly hard race, and the level is hard. It’s the best bike race in the world with the best bike riders. You are suffering and struggling to hold the wheels some days. When I get in the right place, I try to exploit my opportunities. I went away with great riders, and even though Ben knew he wasn’t the strongest in the sprint, he tried, and we worked well together.
Kasper was incredibly strong, and honestly, he also deserved the win. But in this Tour, the suffering and sacrifice people go through, you’d want each rider to have this chance to win a stage.
I had Jack and Fred in the break, and they supported me incredibly well. But it’s not just them. We have an amazing team and amazing staff who give everything every day for us to support us and achieve the dream.
Another one for our good friend Gino.”
(All pictures can be used for editorial and non-commercial usages only and are copyright @Sprintcycling @TeamBahrainVictorious)
