Gravel World Champion Matej Mohoric on inclusion of dust roads at Tour de France: "I would dare to say that it is now part of road cycling"

Stage 9 of this year's Tour de France is much feared among the favourites for the overall victory. It's not because of its brutal climbs but due to the unpredictable gravel. Matej Mohoric, as the current gravel World Champion, seems to be the right person to give his opinion of how this stage might unfold.

"The gravel stage could easily be a difficult day for the GC riders. Especially for the outsiders. The not-quite-top favorites. For the rest, I think a strong breakaway could make it to the finish," was Mohoric's preview for In de Leiderstrui. "It's going to be a chaotic day, especially because it's all being ridden on narrow roads. When it's that narrow, positioning is even more important. Once you're a bit behind, it's going to be very difficult to make up time."

Despite being the World Champion on gravel, the Slovenian doesn't see himself as a favourite for the stage: "I am indeed the world champion on gravel, but I do not see this stage as my best chance of a stage win in this Tour. It will be nice, but not for me. Other stages suit me better," he explained. "I am talking about a number of transition stages in the second and third week. I am not feeling too well at the moment either, but I will try to hang on to it and therefore hope for better legs to come."

Does a gravel stage belong in a Grand Tour according to Mohoric? The Bahrain - Victorious rider gives his answer to that. "It is difficult to indicate whether a gravel stage belongs in a Grand Tour. I would dare to say that it is now part of road cycling."

"Moreover, the organizers always want to create a spectacle for the fans. This stage will therefore be one of the most popular and most often followed stages on television. So I understand the organization in a way, although I can also understand that some GC riders get frustrated because of such a stage. As a result of material failure, you can lose many seconds or even minutes in no time. However, there will also be GC riders who see this as an opportunity, since many GC guys cannot handle this either."