We remember his victory for a few centimeters at the end of the 19th stage of the last Tour de France in front of Kasper Asgreen (Soudal Quick-Step) in Poligny. Matej Mohoric surely remembered these strong emotions at the dawn of the 111th Big loop. The Slovenian of training Bahrain-Victorious will try to raise their arms a 4th time on the roads of the big meeting of the summer. At a press conference this Friday, the former winner of Milan-San Remo gave his feelings on the race, but also spoke about his teammate’s new status as leader Santiago Buitrago.
Matej Mohoric before the start of the 2024 Tour de France
“Buitrago? We hope he can fight for the white jersey”
“It’s a great opportunity for Santiago (Buitrago) to show his current status, welcomes Matej Mohoric. This is a great opportunity. He has proven this year that he has improved a lot in the general ranking. We all think he’s at a good level. We are excited to see him fight against the other favorites. We also hope that he can fight for the white jersey.”
The Colombian is in good shape, but he also: “My legs are feeling better and better after the Tour of Slovenia. I think I’m physically ready for the race. My goals for this Tour are to go for stage victories. I won’t be happy coming in 2nd or 3rd place. Only a victory is a success for me. But I’m also here to support my colleagues on the team. So my roles will be different from day to day. But I’m sure I’ll have opportunities. I don’t intend to win in the first three days, it’s not within my capabilities, the descents are not very difficult but the climbs are.“
“The gravel stage? Perhaps the best opportunity”
Conversely, the 9th stage, with its “gravel” portions, interests him: “I see it as an opportunity, maybe not the best opportunity on paper. I think she can finish in a reduced sprint.” Matej Mohoric also evokes his links with his two compatriots and stars of the Tour, Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) and Primoz Roglic (BORA-hansgrohe). “It’s not that we’re the closest, but we are happy for the success of each of us. I think it’s a coincidence that all three of us did good results at the same time, all coming from the same country. JI hope both can achieve their goals this year.” Finally, Matej Mohoric gave his opinion on the historic arrival in Nice, Olympic Games oblige. “I think it’s every runner’s dream to finish the Tour in Paris. This year will be a little less special.”
