Slovenian cyclist shows class at UCI Gravel World Championships

Slovenian cyclists continue to add to their country's collection of trophies as Matej Mohorič has won bronze at the 4th UCI Gravel World Championships.

This is his second medal at gravel worlds following his world champion title in 2023, CE Report quotes The Slovenia Times.

Mohorič finished one minute and 23 seconds behind the winner, Belgium's Florian Vermeersch. Dutch rider Frits Biesterbos took silver.
Taking place in the Netherlands on 12 October, the 180km race challenged riders with nearly 2,000 metres of total elevation.

While the winner launched his attack 60 kilometres from the finish line, Mohorič made his move from the peloton a bit later.

A few riders followed him, but he was the leading force in the chase. The Slovenian eventually left them behind and began closing in on Biesterbos but failed to catch up with him.

The 30-year-old did thrill spectators with his signature riding style though. Several bold manoeuvres brought him to the brink of crashing, but he managed to stay on the bike, and his hunt for the medal was successful in the end.

"Today the race was really hard, as expected," Mohorič said after securing bronze. He described the course as quite tactical, "with a lot of positioning early on".

"Unfortunately, I missed the first key breakaway, which was crucial to winning today. Still, I found space to attack in the second half of the race, and I think third place is a great result - the best we could do today ... I'm happy to bring a medal home and now look forward to the off-season," he added.

One of the best Slovenian riders, Mohorič has so far bagged several major victories, including stage wins at all of the three Grand Tours. In 2022, he also won Milan-San Remo, one of the five monuments, the most prestigious one-day races in men's cycling.

Bringing together elements of road and mountain biking, gravel riding is a young discipline. The first Gravel World Championship was held three years ago, but the discipline has been gaining in popularity and is now considered one of the fastest growing in cycling.