After surviving the chaos and crashes of one of the most hectic Opening Weekends of recent years, Matej Mohorič says that while compatriot Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) is the standout favourite for the upcoming Strade Bianche, the roads of Tuscany will likely give him a better chance to shine than Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne.
Eighth in the Clásica Jaén, whose off-road sections have a lot more in common than the cobbles and hills of Flanders, in early February was already one promising result for the Bahrain Victorious co-leader.
Former gravel World Champion and teammate Pello Bilbao, like Mohorič, a former top-five finisher in Italy, will head up the Bahrain formation. Another interesting option for the Middle Eastern squad will be Attila Valter, who brings both top-10 finishes in Siena and a mountain biking background to the race.
But while Mohorič, like everybody else, is fully expecting the usual long-distance Pogačar assault on the sterrato, he also thinks this year's reduction in the gravel sectors in the race, by 16 kilometres compared to 2025 to 64.1 kilometres, may well change Saturday's overall dynamic.
"It should do," Mohorič told Cyclingnews earlier this week. "OK, probably UAE will try to adjust and make it harder from the start, but anyhow, it will allow more riders to still be involved towards the finale.
"So there will be less room for heroics, where the tenth-place finisher is 10 minutes down and a bit more open."
As for Mohorič himself, he knows Strade Bianche suits him, even if the presence of Pogačar can't be ignored when it comes to team strategy.
"Of course, having riders like Pogačar on the startlist changes things. I think they [UAE] will make the race as difficult as they possibly can so they can have him launch from far out," he said.
"I don't think I can match the power he has, so our strategy is to be there in the mix and then try to deliver the best possible result from the group we are in with my teammates. We have a strong team there, it's not just me."
While Strade can appear to be just as chaotic and fraught as Opening Weekend, Mohorič said the very different nature of the terrain makes it, as he succinctly put it, "a lot more about pure power and a bit less about elbows."
"They are very different. Here, it's more about positioning, very nervous. I have a lot of difficulties to stay in position because many, many riders are fighting for the same places," he said.
"In Strade, it's much more difficult on the legs, so it stretches out more. It's almost easier for a rider like myself to get in position and then stay there.
"Once the race is stretched out on the gravel sectors, more often than not, I feel more comfortable than some other riders. So sometimes it helps me."
However, as Mohorič warned, there's always a danger that you can get over-enthusiastic in the early sectors of Strade, for which riders can pay a high price later on.
"You can't go that much faster on the gravel," he pointed out.
"You also need to be careful not to do too much and maybe slip backwards. Basically, you always need to know your limits."
Bahrain Victorious for Strade Bianche
- Pello Bilbao (SPA)
- Afonso Eulálio (POR)
- Matej Mohorič (SLO)
- Pau Miquel (SPA)
- Fran Miholjević (CRO)
- Attila Valter (HUN)
- Edoardo Zambanini (ITA)
