'I made a crucial step in my career here' says former junior and U23 world champion
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Slovenian champion Matej Mohoric will be back for a second year with Bahrain-Merida in 2019.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Matej Mohoric (UAE Team Emirates) at Tour of Flanders(Image credit: Getty Images)
Matej Mohoric (Slo) Bahrain-Merida wins the 2018 BinckBank Tour(Image credit: Getty Images)
Matej Mohoric wins stage 3(Image credit: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images Sport)
Matej Mohoric (Bahrain-Merida) takes part in the pre-race press conference for the Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec & Montreal(Image credit: Getty Images)
Matej Mohoric will remain with Bahrain-Merida until at least the end of 2021 after signing a two-year contract extension.
The Slovenian won back-to-back world road race titles at junior and U23 level in 2012 and 2013, and turned pro with Cannondale in 2014 as a 19-year-old.
After switching to Lampre-Merida for 2016 and 2017, he joined Bahrain-Merida in 2018 and enjoyed his breakthrough season with the pros, winning the BinckBank Tour, the Deutschland Tour, and a stage at the Giro d'Italia.
After a strong debut cobbled Classics campaign, the 24-year-old, clearly feeling he'd found the right environment for himself, put pen to paper on a new deal.
“With Bahrain-Merida I had the best year of my career so far. I made a crucial step in my career here and I feel really good in this team, so I’m very proud to stay here longer and be part of this team in the future," Mohoric said.
Mohoric was 5th at Milan-San Remo and 9th at Gent-Wevelgem, while his placings in the other cobbled classics perhaps didn't reflect his strength, as he admitted to killing his own chances with his natural aggression. The Slovenian champion will continue down that Classics path, which seem suited to his racing style, but also wants to develop as a stage racer in the future.
"Plans are to focus on one-day Classics. I became a really good rider on this kind of races," he said. "Next strategies will be to make a step forward as a GC rider. I will need some more years of experience for sure, but I would grow up to fight for Grand Tours overall as well."
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Brent Copeland, general manager of Bahrain-Merida, added: "We’re very happy with the renewal of Matej’s contract. It’s a rider that fits our team perfectly. He’s a talented cyclist also he’s a rider that we can work together to help to improve in more areas with the help McLaren and Merida. Together we can definitely use Matej to help improvements in technological area.
"He’s a rider that continuously increasing his talent. We believe that the future is really bright for both sides."
