Matej Mohoric is only 23, but he is already a veteran of the WorldTour about to enter his fifth season at the top level of cycling. The Slovenian joined Cannondale at the tender age of 19 after becoming U23 world champion at the 2013 Worlds in Florence, a year after taking the junior title.
The intervening four seasons have been an uphill battle for Mohoric, but he says that he would do it all over again if he was given the opportunity.
"It was quite hard for me because it was quite a big change, especially being amongst guys who were much older than me and much more experienced than me. But, somehow, I managed to get through it," Mohoric told Cyclingnews. "They were tough years and I think that I gained a lot. I would definitely make the same decision again if I had to.
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"I still have some time to develop myself fully and find my own space in cycling. I think that my best years are still in front of me."
Mohoric has been determined to learn as much as he feasibly can, sometimes forsaking his own opportunities. His team manager at his new Bahrain-Merida squad, Brent Copeland, was also his team manager in his first year at Lampre-Merida [now UAE Team Emirates]. Copeland says that Mohoric was always the first to offer himself up as the team's workhorse.
"Matej is such an intelligent person. I remember working with him at Lampre. The directors would always ask if there were any riders who wanted to pull on the front first, and he would be the first to put his hand up. We would be like, 'Matej, you've just won the World Championships' and he didn't care. He wanted to learn as much as he could," explained Copeland.
Changing perspective
From helper to leader
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