'It’s like riding against a motorbike' - Mohoric on trying to follow Pogacar in Flanders

From around 100 kilometres to go, the race turned into a slow grind of elimination.

“It was just full on,” Matej Mohorič told Wielerflits. “Florian [Vermeersch] did a massive pull before the Molenberg and split the race. From there it was just an elimination race. The strongest guys came out on top.”

Among those hanging on was Mohorič himself, although he admitted the effort was taking everything he had. “I think we were just hanging on for dear life. I was actually feeling really good today, but this was the best I could do.”

Eventually, the Slovenian finished eighth, more than five minutes behind compatriot Tadej Pogačar.

Matej Mohorič was realistic in his assessment, admitting there was little more he could have done and that, after UAE had blown the race apart, he never felt there was any opportunity to take the initiative.

“After the Molenberg they were pulling so hard,” Mohorič said. “Everyone was taking turns, but when you go to the front you actually do less power than on the wheel. They just keep everyone at the limit.”

Or, as he put it more bluntly: “It’s like going against a motorbike. You just try to survive.”

Attention now turns to Paris Roubaix, where Mohorič expects a very different type of race, and potentially more opportunity. “With a headwind forecast, it’s going to be interesting. There’s always chaos there, crashes, punctures, people coming back. It’s a hectic race, one that suits us mortals a bit better.”

Unlike Flanders, where the steep climbs expose any weakness, Roubaix offers fewer decisive moments according to Mohorič. “It’s harder to drop riders there than on these climbs,” he said. “So we’ll see. We just want to finish without regrets.”

For Mohorič, that remains the measure. Not the result alone, but how the race is ridden alongside the sport’s best. “I’ll keep racing my heart out,” he said. “And be proud to race alongside these champions.”