Mohoric doesn't stop crying, on this French day which saw the men of the World Cup in the front row. Everyone said it, in every way. Ahead of the race there were... the best hunters in the worldAnd perhaps it is no coincidence that they found themselves facing each other after three weeks of the Tour and two from the World Championship. It means that the top condition is coming.
«Being a professional cyclist – says Mohoric – is difficult and cruelYou suffer a lot in the preparations, you sacrifice your life, your family and you do everything to get here ready. And then after a couple of days you realize that everyone is so incredibly strong. Sometimes it's hard to follow the wheels. The other day on the Col de la Loze I was completely tired and emptyBut you see the staff who wake up at 6 and finish work at midnight. And some days you feel like you don't belong here, because everyone is so incredibly strong that you can barely keep your wheels. You know what I've been thinking about all day today? Let's hope that guy up front shooting is suffering at least as much as I am.. ".
From the Tour to Glasgow
Welcome he followed her from home. The national team coach knows that time is running outThe team will be made after the Wallonie Tour, but it will be made known on August 1st at the press conference at the Mugello racetrackHe'll tell the riders first, but only because those chosen for the Glasgow challenge will already be in training camp by then. It'll be a strange World Championships. We need people who attack, like today Trentino e Bettiol, Pedersen and Van der Poel, or Alaphilippe, Asgreen and Mohoric. But you also need a sprinter to keep in your pocket in case you arrive in a sprint.And we don't have the sprinter yet. Nicelo He will run the Wallonie, but so far he has shown little. Viviani He practically opted out. The others disappeared.
As an interested observer, how did you see today's stage?
I saw Matteo very well and then also Alberto. Trentin was already in the breakaway at 7-8 when Politt's chain broke. Alberto was the first to break the ice and try to get back in. In short, from there the group definitively broke up. Initially, Oss was also there, but he dropped out of the final. This means that they are finishing the Tour on a highBettiol had allergy problems and is recovering. Trentin crashed in the second stage and had knee problems, but they seem to be behind him…
Did we see any World Cup-worthy men today?
It was still a good test, after almost three weeks of a Tour run at stratospheric levels. They also averaged almost 50 today and there were a large part of those who play in the most important classics in front of them. It's a day that should give them moraleThe Tour is the most important showcase. It ends only two weeks before the World Championships, so we know very well that the protagonists will probably come out of here.
And what about your morale?
Last year's World Cup gave me awareness that even if there are three or four elements on paper much stronger than us, In a one-day race we have to play on equal termsRunning in a certain way, intelligently, without ever being surprised. We must always try to be ahead, not to chase.
When will you give the names?
I'll give it to the boys first, because we'll be in retreat from July 30th. In the meantime I will wait for the Wallonie, because there are several riders who have not done the Tour. There are Rota and BaronsBallerini, Bagioli, Nizzolo, Oldani, and Sbaragli are all in. Wallonie will be the last major test.
Mohoric won today.
One of those riders who is still strong everywhere. He can ride a bike well, he is very intelligent, because He won not only with his legs, but also, above all, with his headIn bad weather, he knows how to get by well. Van der Poel is also growing, But he's a special case. I think the three weeks are bothering him a bit, or at least it doesn't perform as it should. In fact, it was there today too, but not brilliant. But after the Tour, I expect it to fly. The same for Van Aert, who however this year ran more with the team in mind.
Do we have a sprinter to keep there in case of a sprint finish?
The best Nizzolo and the best Viviani would have been wonderful, but they haven't seen each other at that level for a while. The results are also needed to justify the call and the courage to take responsibility for a certain role. And in any case, if you don't have the sprinter, you can always do I trust Trentin, who after 270 kilometers can achieve a resultAnd then there's something else to say...
What?
When I was a sprinter, I knew I was judged on sprints. Sometimes you have to sprint into the wind. Maybe you get a start and then they catch up with you, and that's fine, but... If you always do them in quick succession, you never improve.I was nobody, but sometimes I won the sprints, sometimes I lost them, sometimes only one rider passed me, sometimes two or three passed me. A sprinter must try to sprint every now and then. Unfortunately, we have sprinters who are sitting idle or don't sprint, so it's difficult to take them into consideration.
Would Milan have been fine there?
It would have been the man to bet on in case of sprintHe's young and has shown that if you arrive in a group, he's strong. You keep him there, and if nothing happens and 50 riders arrive, he's there and he'd even have the men to help him. But the World Cup is like that, track and road are practically together, so we will have to do without him.
