TDF 2023: Matej Mohoric Powers to Victory at Stage 19
Slovenian powerhouse lands his third Tour de France stage of his career and secures a third stage win for Team Bahrain Victorious at this year’s edition of the Tour.
Matej Mohorič won a third Tour de France stage in his career and secured a third stage for Team Bahrain Victorious at this year’s edition following the victories of Pello Bilbao and Wout Poels.
How it played out
The Slovenian rider known for his art of winning from the breakaway had to be patient to eventually make it in the winning move. The first breakaway that formed included fellow rider Jack Haig, but later a group of over 30 riders broke from the peloton, which included Mohorič and Fred Wright, which was when the peloton allowed the break to go as they sat up. From there, Mohorič put in an attack with 30km to go along with Ben O’Connor (AG2R-Citroën) and Stage 18 winner Kasper Asgreen. They quickly worked together to get a gap of 30 seconds and collaborated to make that the decisive move to the line. Leading up to the sprint, O’Connor went long while Mohorič followed the wheel of Asgreen and threw his bike to the line. It was decided by a photo finish with Mohorič clinching it by just a few millimeters.
An emotional rollercoaster
Mohorič commented: “It’s super emotional for me. It’s been a hard month for us all, and it’s been a rollercoaster. This has been an incredibly hard race, and the level is hard. It’s the best bike race in the world with the best bike riders. You are suffering and struggling to hold the wheels some days. When I get in the right place, I try to exploit my opportunities. I went away with great riders, and even though Ben knew he wasn’t the strongest in the sprint, he tried, and we worked well together. Kasper was incredibly strong, and honestly, he also deserved the win. But in this Tour, the suffering and sacrifice people go through, you’d want each rider to have this chance to win a stage. I had Jack and Fred in the break, and they supported me incredibly well. But it’s not just them. We have an amazing team and amazing staff who give everything every day for us to support us and achieve the dream. Another one for our good friend Gino.”
How Matej fueled for the stage
For this specific stage, which was both hilly and hot, it is especially critical to stay on top of your fuel and hydration from the beginning. For most riders on the Team Bahrain Victorious team, including Matej, the fuel target is 120 grams per hour of carbs and 1 liter of fluid. Mohorič is a huge fan of Neversecond's energy gels. He consumed 2 x C30 Energy Gels and 2 x 500ml bottles per hour in this stage - each with a single scoop of C30 Sports Drink in Citrus flavor in each bidon. His total sodium intake was 200mg of sodium per gel and per serving of drink mix - a total of 800mg of sodium per hour. Pre-stage, all TBV riders took a C30 Ice Gel 10 minutes before start to take advantage of some pre-stage core cooling.
What's Next for Matej
Fresh off his huge stage win at TDF, Mohorič takes to the start for a 6th time and has one success in Poland to his name already, from the 2019 edition. He will lead TBVs GC charge, supported by road captain Damiano Caruso.
