Matej Mohoric has talked about doping, it's absence in his eyes and the technological and preparation changes that have happened over the past few years, and how they affect the speed at which the riders race with currently.
"Absence of doping. It means that the International Cycling Union has cut through this culture and said that it does not allow it anymore and that all the teams have accepted it and are actively doing it," Mohoric said as the biggest change within the last decades in cycling, in words to RTV Slo. "This also contributed to the fact that we all have similar starting points. And the materials. That the bikes are so fast now. With the modern special that we use in the Tour de France, when riding with 300 watts of power, which is somewhat low pace, I have about 120-130 beats per minute at this power. I can do this all day and nothing will change. At this intensity, I burn fat."
"Then on the flat, if there is no wind, i.e. in no wind, but if the asphalt is about decent, average, then I move at more than 50 kilometers per hour, about 52, 53. Ten years ago, with my competition bike, with my equipment, with jersey, helmet and everything, I was moving maybe 46, 47 per hour with the same power. This is a significant difference. And if you give that to every individual, what happens? It just so happens that we are much faster as a group."
As a classics rider, the Slovenian feels it quite significantly, as even the hilly races feature most of it's course as flat. Furthermore they have been more and more aggressive over the past few years, winning attacks and differences are made earlier and forces the riders to spend more time in the wind. Not only in climbs, speed records have been regularly improved in recent years when it comes to average speeds in the monuments and Grand Tours for example. It's a change that is felt all across the peloton and trickles down into other categories.
Mohoric was subject of suspicions himself. At the 2021 Tour de France Bahrain - Victorious was raided by the police - ultimately having no results, Mohoric then won a stage in the final week of the race and did a 'shush' gesture as he crossed the finish line. He tells that he was not one of the riders who had his phone apprehended by the police. "Yes. Luckily for me they didn't, so I always had it. But others got everything back. So that was the end of it, if I know correctly."
The team was again searched in the days leading up to the 2022 Tour de France but with similar results. "But these things are always teasing, measuring political power and the like. I think those days are over. As athletes, we pay back taxes. The fact is that we have to report our location 24/7 and that we have very frequent visits from those who check on us at home."
Lastly he also talked about Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard who have certainly kicked the climbing level in the peloton up another notch, and have subsequently been accused by people for a few years now. "Yes of course. The one who stands out is always labeled as doing something impossible. But every time the boundaries shift. I am sure that in ten years, if you are not at the same level as Jonas was, you will not be among the hundred. They are simply two years ahead of everyone else," Mohoric argues.
"We can't compare it exactly right now. They also have twice the budget of our team. If you throw twice as much knowledge into one thing, you will be able to check twice as many details that affect aerodynamics, rolling resistance. You can spend twice as much money on preparations."
MATEJ MOHORIČ HAS ANNOUNCED HIS GOALS FOR 2024 🇧🇪 Ronde van Vlaanderen 🇫🇷 Paris Roubaix 🌫️ More gravel races in the rainbow jersey, definitely Unbound Gravel 🇫🇷 Tour de France 🇫🇷 Olympic Games road race 🇨🇭 Road Worlds 🇧🇪 Gravel Worlds More on this thread with interview.
