(Poligny, France) A month after the death of Gino Mäder, Matej Mohoric, winner at Poligny on Friday in the Tour de France, has drawn deep within himself to pay tribute to him and justify a life of sacrifice and suffering.
In tears at the finish, in tears on the podium, the Slovenian was still in tears when his compatriot Tadej Pogacar fell into his arms after crossing the line in Poligny a quarter of an hour late, warm in the peloton of the yellow jersey Jonas Vingegaard.
It was with rare emotion that Mohoric welcomed his third victory in the Grande Boucle, two years after his double in the 2021 edition.
Because he ripped it off with guts and a bit of mischief when he threw his bike over the line to beat Kasper Asgreen at the photo-finish.
Because it comes a month after the death of Gino Mäder, his teammate at Bahrain, who fell into a ravine on the Tour de Suisse. “She’s for him”, stammered the Slovenian after having already signed his team’s third success on this Tour after those of Pello Bilbao and Wout Poels.
But also because it’s the Tour de France, quite simply, “the toughest race in the world” where “raising your arms changes your life” and where “every day 150 are aiming for victory” and as many “deserve it”.
Barely got off the bike, the 28-year-old Slovenian launched into a vibrant tribute to the peloton by finding his usual machine-gun flow, despite a few sobs and a lot of emotion.
“This win means so much to me. It is so difficult and cruel to be a professional runner. You suffer a lot, you sacrifice your life, your family just to be ready to come here. And there, after a few days, you realize that everyone is incredibly strong, that it’s hard just to keep the wheel of the guy in front. »
Then come the doubts that assail even a runner as strong as him, winner of a Monument (Milan-SanRemo) and cheating death on the descents he learned to tame young in the Slovenian mountains.
“Sometimes you feel like you don’t belong at this table because the level is so high. But afterwards, you see the management getting high for you, the mechanics working until late at night. It helps you get going in the morning. This victory is also for them. »
The Slovenian then recounted his difficult day on Wednesday in the terrifying Col de la Loze which he climbed like a dead man on borrowed time, “completely emptied”.
“And then I looked at the runners next to me and they were in just as much pain. So we hang on. »
And when “everyone is at their wit’s end,” he continued, “it’s the mind that makes the difference.”
Like Friday, when he drew very deep to take the wheel of Kasper Asgreen when the Dane accelerated on the Ivory Coast, about thirty kilometers from the finish.
“I was in agony, but I knew it was the right move, Kasper was so strong, stronger than me,” Mohoric said.
But at the finish, it was he who crossed the line as the winner after beating the Dane, winner the day before in Bourg-en-Bresse, by such a small margin that he had to wait at the photo-finish to validate his result.
“In important moments, I manage to keep a cool head,” he said.
The peloton, with the yellow jersey Jonas Vingegaard, arrived almost 14 minutes late, riding at a senator’s pace, because no rider dangerous for the general classification had slipped into the breakaway.
For the Dane, who still has a 7:35 lead over Pogacar, there is now one last obstacle to overcome, on Saturday during a six-pass stage in the Vosges, to seal his triumph and celebrate it for the second year in a row on Sunday on the Champs Elysées.
In addition, for the third time since the start of the 2023 edition of the Tour de France, Quebecer Hugo Houle has carved out a place in the top 20. The 32-year-old athlete from Sainte-Perpétue finished the race in 16th place, one minute 43 seconds behind the winner.
Last Sunday, during the 15th stage, Houle had put in his best performance of the Tour this year with a 13th place. He was also 20th in stage three on July 3.
Following his performance on Friday, Houle is now the best of the three Canadians overall.
The Israel-Premier Tech rider has gained eight positions and is 39th, 2:29:34 behind Vingegaard.
Ottawa’s Michael Woods, also the colors of Israel – Premier Tech, now ranks 45th, a slide of four places, at 2:34:04. Guillaume Boivin, the last member of the Canadian trio at Israel – Premier Tech, remained in 121st place.
Boivin finished Friday’s stage 93rd while Woods was 121st.
