"The difference between winning and losing is very small in cycling" - Risks worth it for Matej Mohoric as he soars to downhill triumph at Valenciana
Cycling
The second stage of the Volta a Comunitat Valenciana was a very open day, where only one rider managed to make the difference. Matej Mohoric won his first race of the season, putting on another downhill show to take the win on stage 2.
"I was always focused on this stage, because this stage would suit me best. Yesterday the escapees were given too much space, so it was not possible, and we also lost two important riders for the stage: Kamil Gradek and Yukiya Arashiro," Mohoric said in a post-race interview. "They had to check things on the flat and ensure that the escapees did not get too much space. In the end, the rest of the team did a perfect job. I didn't want to take too many risks on the descent, but I am very happy and proud."
With Jonathan Milan out of the picture due to a puncture, the race was wide open. Many attacks thinned down the peloton over the final 15 kilometers, and eventually Matej Mohoric attacked with 6 kilometers to go with no-one in the wheel. The several technical switchbacks that followed allowed him to take a sizeable gap, and his rouleur abilities saw him sustain it all the way to the finish.
"We are here with one of the strongest teams here and with Pello [Bilbao] or Santiago [Buitrago] we should be able to go for the podium. We will control the race, but the other teams can also do that, because they also have big names in the rankings," the Slovenian says of the following days, where the overall classification will eventually be decided.
Mohoric did not take the race lead as Alessandro Tonelli maintains his gap from the opening day, however it is not his priority. As he looks ahead to the spring classics, he has already proven to be in great form. "My trainer already told me not to train too much, otherwise I would get in shape too early," he admits still.
"For me that is not so bad, because my level during the spring is often very constant. I'm starting with the Omloop het Nieuwsblad and I want to make the most of every opportunity, otherwise they will just disappear. The difference between winning and losing is very small in cycling," he concluded.
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- More to the point, it isn't his remaining goal.Renz08-11-2026
- lol yeahmij08-11-2026
- I know, their headlines can be so misleading. Pidcock had a great season with 5 wins. and some solid 2nds. no reason to take away from that with a fake headline.mij08-11-2026
- You can clearly see the the posture change from slightly sitting to again out of the saddle while changing of gears in the video of the sprintabstractengineer08-11-2026
- He has already beaten Pogi twice in the TDF. the achievement is over. He cannot beat Pogi now and he only has a few years left at the top. Win Giro and compete in the TDF, maximise palmares.abstractengineer08-11-2026
- Just looked again at the photo. Yeah I stand by that. If MS had fallen over in Brands direction I don’t even think she would have hit her. You must be a UCI race commissioner. I’ll be sure to check my sock height should I ever see you on a ride. Looks like everyone else on here sees what I see.mij08-11-2026
- I said looking at the photo it doesn’t appear she deviated. Chill out, not stating my word is the final judgement. Just commenting that based on the photo I don’t see it. And BTW the Dutch coach even said she didn’t impede her.mij08-11-2026
- Blah Blah Blah !frieders308-11-2026
- MS said she was changing gears so that caused her slight deviation. Nothing was intentional.frieders308-11-2026
- How can you use a photo post incident to judge the incident itself (which is not hard to find if you’re prepared to invest the same amount of time in searching as writing that comment? It’s harsh but technically right even though this or worse is not always sanctioned in every race. The two things that went against MS (who unfortunately for her would still have won without making her mistake) are that it was not a bunch sprint where there could have been an overlooked incident or mitigating circumstances explaining a deviation. Everything was focused on just those 2, Schreiber was riding beautifully balanced which made her sudden deviation look unnatural stroke as if it could have been in some part intentional whilst she was slowly drifting ever closer towards the barrier to a point that would have reached obstruction level. In her defence, it might have been the realisation she was heading towards that that made her react suddenly and caused the deviation involuntarily. In any case, congratulations to her for the ride of her life, in people’s minds she will be credited for it.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
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🥇@matmohoric showed his descending skills again, but this time claiming our first win of the season! #RideAsOne #VCV2024 #rideforGino
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