Mohoric Wishes He Had Explored Rwanda’s Political Situation More: "Disappointed in Myself

The Road World Championships in Rwanda is – to say the least – a highly debated race. Some celebrate the first elite World Championship on African soil, while at the same time there is much criticism because it presents the dictatorial regime in Rwanda a prime opportunity to polish its image. For Matej Mohoric, that was no reason to question his participation, but he did leave for Rwanda not without reservations. “I wish I had been better informed and I wish I had more time to reflect on things,” he told WielerFlits.

However the races unfold, the World Championships in Rwanda will go down in history. Not only as the first elite Worlds on African soil, marking a giant step forward for the African continent in cycling, but also because of the sportswashing by the Rwandan regime. Critics point out that dictator Paul Kagame is trying to clean up his image with the event by showing Rwanda in the best possible light.

Since the announcement of the Worlds, that has already caused quite a stir. It doesn’t appear to have led to any significant absences, as many top riders are starting this week’s various races. Although several riders have withdrawn, no one has explicitly cited the political situation as their reason.

One of the riders starting is Matej Mohoric. The Slovenian, who just extended his contract with Bahrain Victorious, wants to help Tadej Pogacar secure a second world title this weekend. In an interview with WielerFlits, the Slovenian rider says he did not hesitate about participating, although he adds a significant caveat.

“It’s a very difficult issue. I wish I had more time and energy to think about these things, but unfortunately, I am super busy going from race to race and training camp to training camp, and I am a bit annoyed with myself as well. The world we live in is personally too hectic for many people, so we don’t have the time to reflect on the bigger picture,” he explains.

“Also with all the questions that came up in the Vuelta a España and so on. I’m really sorry and I’m really disappointed in myself to have to say that I am too focused on my own training, my own race program, and problems in my daily life, to study these kinds of issues in enough detail to form a clear opinion. I wish I had been better informed and I wish I had more time to reflect on things because I always know there’s more truth.”

Matej Mohoric, on the wheel of Tadej Pogacar, during the third stage of the 2024 Tour de France - photo: Cor Vos[/caption]

Still, participation was a simple choice for the 31-year-old rider. “It’s not my job to decide where we race, etc. That’s up to the governing body and the organizers. It’s hard to please everyone. At the end of the day, I’m just a professional cyclist and I want to do my job well.”

“I have a friend, because Tadej is my friend, and I know how badly he wants that rainbow jersey and I want to help him achieve that dream,” he continues. “So it would be pretty difficult and challenging for me to say I’m not going. It’s hard for me as a professional cyclist to respond to this issue. It’s just frustrating that in this hectic world we are sometimes too busy with our own problems to care about the big picture.”

Driven Pogacar
Meanwhile, Mohoric is focusing on the race, where he will play a supporting role. “With Tadej, of course, we have one of the favorites on the team. We also have Primoz (Roglic, ed.) who hasn’t raced since San Sebastian and I believe has done a long altitude training camp. So I think he will play a big role in the squad.”

Could Pogacar and Roglic form a dangerous duo at the World Championships? - photo: Cor Vos[/caption]

Still, he finds it difficult to predict what his exact role will be since the race dynamics seem hard to foresee. “I’m not sure how many elevation meters there are, because the estimates vary, but it’s also a long race. I think after the junior, U23, and women’s races, we’ll have a better idea of the parcours.”

In any case, Mohoric expects team leader Pogacar to be highly motivated after just missing the podium in the time trial. “I think that makes him even angrier and more driven to prove that he is number one in cycling.”