Matej Mohoric dedicates Tour of Slovenia win to Gino Mäder: "I am happy that I was able to win for him today"

Bahrain - Victorious today have gotten their first win since the passing of Gino Mäder, as many have over the past few days the win had a specific dedication as Matej Mohoric rode to victory on the final day of the Tour of Slovenia.

Despite a strong spring the Slovenian hadn't yet been able to net a stage win so far this year. Ahead of the Tour de France and benefiting from the absence of Tadej Pogacar, Mohoric was able to improve his form over the last days of the race, and today raced on the attack on the final ascent of the day.

“The plan was to win for Gino. The climb suited me perfectly and I gave everything. Filippo [Zana] was the only one who could follow me, after which I tried to catch up with him on the descent. Unfortunately, the descent was short," he explains. He got a small gap and briefly looked like he could try to go for the overall win, however he decided ultimately to just play for the stage win.

As Zana voluntarily rode through to the finish to preserve his GC lead, Mohoric had the superior legs into the final sprint, and took a convincing win. “It was an emotional week. I am happy that I was able to win for him today. He had found this very nice. All I was doing today was giving it my all on the road," he concluded.