Matej Mohoric won two stages in the 2021 Tour de France in impressive fashion, and after Milano-Sanremo win earlier this year and a strong Tour of Slovenia, it came as a surprise as he was far from his level at the Tour.
I haven't been feeling great at the Tour and I struggled to recover afterwards," Mohoric said in a social media post. He then went on to reveal the reasons why he had struggled with form: "The blood checks revealed I had an asymptomatic covid infection and that I possibly also had an Epstein-Barr virus infection recently".
Whilst several riders tested positive for Covid-19 during the Tour de France ,the possibility of having had the Epstein-Barr virus may prove more consequencial, with riders such as Mark Cavendish and Fausto Masnada in recent years having been sidelined or completely out of race condition after having it for several months.
"I will take more time to rest and hopefully start feeling better in time for more racing before season ends," he concluded, confident he will be able to make a comeback soon. Mohoric is scheduled to race the Canadian classics, and in his best form he should be a contender for the World championships.