MOHORIC POSITIVE OVER DRUG RAID
Anti-doping sweep will prove our innocence, says stage winner
BAHRAIN Victorious’ Slovenian rider Matej Mohoric won stage 19 of the Tour de France on Friday, a day after his team hotel and bus were subject to an antidoping raid.
It was Mohoric’s second win on this edition of the Tour, and was achieved after he joined an early break and then broke clear for a solo win at Libourne, with the main peloton several minutes adrift.
Mohoric made a gesture at the finish line running a finger across his lips horizontally as if he were closing a zip, after the team’s third victory of this year’s race.
Overall leader Tadej Pogacar’s UAE Team led the peloton over the line 20 minutes and 49 seconds later with no change in the overall top ten.
Mohoric said his gesture was meant as a message for people to be careful about jumping to conclusions after the raid which has led to a preliminary enquiry the authorities said was to see “whether or not there has been, acquisition, transport or possession of banned substances.”
Mohoric faced the press calmly after celebrating on the podium.
“It was a sign to show all people to be mindful that we are making sacrifices with our work away from home and family and on training camps, we have a good level here and also had it in the past,” he said.
The 26-year-old was trying to remain positive after the police raid, although he admitted it was deeply upsetting at the time.
“If someone needs to go through my stuff and take my phone, well if this eventually proves my innocence then so much the better,” he said.
“I felt weird about my integrity being questioned, but then I felt it was good for the integrity of a sport that has had big problems in the past,” he said.
The winner raced the 207km at a high average speed of 47.9km/h, often riding into a headwind through the Bordeaux vineyards, and as well as winning the stage he also took the combativity award.
Christophe Laporte of Cofidis was second at 58sec and Casper Pedersen of DSM was third on the day.