UCI Gravel World Champion Matej Mohoric was dealt a harsh wake-up call in his first US gravel race after a “did not finish” result on Saturday’s unbounded gravel course.
Mohoric arrived in Kansas as one of the hottest prospects wearing the world champion’s rainbow jersey, a surprise addition to the calendar less than a month before the Tour de France.
He had won the UCI Gravel World Title the previous autumn, but the gruelling long-distance world of pure gravel racing was always going to be a challenge, regardless of his fitness.
This became clear before the race when Mohoric, who had given himself a crash course in fitting tubeless tyres, returned from a reconnaissance run saying he was shocked by the conditions.
“It’s not what I expected. The gravel here is looser and slower,” he said, joking, “I’ve already ordered bigger tires.”
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As the race began, mechanical problems that come with riding 200 miles over rough terrain hit the world champion.
He was captured on race organizers’ cameras just before the second checkpoint, by which point he had suffered at least two punctures and, worst of all, a broken rear rim.
“Guys, we’re going to focus on the road race,” Mohoric said, sounding as relaxed as ever.
“A great day for cycling. The weather is great but the road surface isn’t that great and I think it could be smoother. It’s pretty rocky and I’m not good with the sidewalls but hopefully my second tube today will hold up despite hitting a rock and cracking my rim.”
read more: Did Matej Mohoric win the Gravel World Championship on an unreleased Merida bike?
Mohoric was racing alongside his Bahrain Victorious teammates Lukas Wisniowski and Matevš Govekar, but it was clear they had no interest in catching up to the front of the race.
“Now it’s time to take a shortcut to checkpoint two, take a shower and eat something nice,” Mohoric concluded.
Although the trio didn’t finish the race, they undoubtedly enjoyed a change of pace away from the WorldTour scene.
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