20/11/2022

Fred Wright "proved that he could even win a monument" Matej Mohoric assures

Bahrain - Victorious have over the last few years built a strong squad for the classics, and in Fred Wright they have a good weapon to achieve success. Matej Mohoric, this year's Milano-Sanremo winner, talked about the Briton presence in the team.

“I think it’s just a question of time and luck for him to win his first big race," he told CyclingWeekly. "He’s been so close now on so many occasions. It’s so frustrating for him but he’s a winning guy. He’s got a fast sprint and is a super strong rider for classics style parcours."

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With the two specializing in hilly races and breakaways, they can form an incredibly dangerous duo in many races where numbers can be crucial. On the cobbled classics some teams will be above, however even there Wright has ridden into a 7th place at the Tour des Flandres this season, showing he is absolutely in position to dream of a win in races such as the Tour des Flandres and Paris-Roubaix - of course with several other big ones before and after.

"He’s a great rider and I’m really looking forward to racing with him in the classics next year and also at the Tour," Mohoric admits. The two will be the main weapons for the cobbles next year, with the team focusing mostly on the stage-races. "I think he’s proved that he could even win a monument in the future. He’s still very young and is going to have many many chances to come."

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As for the Slovenian himself, he talks of early-season goals: “I think I’m on track for next year. I think we plan for me to race a similar program next year to this year. Building around the classics in the spring, going all the way from San Remo through to Flanders, Roubaix and maybe Liège–Bastogne–Liège.”

A proven winner, he's had to endure illness this year which saw him struggle through the summer. However, beating Jonas Vingegaard to win the Cro Race late in the year showed he was back on track. “I’ll then stop and have a small break before building for the Tour, but yes, for sure San Remo will be one of the main goals," he concluded.