This year’s Strade Bianche adjusted course favours climbers, Matej Mohorič has said, ahead of the Classic on Saturday.
Recent editions of the Italian Classic have been won by lighter, more explosive riders like Tom Pidcock and Tadej Pogačar. Mohorič believes that the addition of an extra loop in the final part of the course puts the race even more in their favour.
After not landing the results he had hoped for at Opening Weekend - 24th at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, and 79th at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, Mohorič told Cycling Weekly on Friday that he is hungry to put that right, starting tomorrow.
"I think my condition is on a pretty good level but the results were far from what I'd hoped for," he said. "So this gives me extra motivation and extra focus to try and do my best tomorrow.
"Although tomorrow is quite a bit different, compared to the two races in Belgium that I've done, especially with the extra loop they've added in the final, it really tips the scales in favour of climbers even more, especially if the race opens up early.
"So I will see how I go, it's going to be a little bit of a journey into the unknown for everyone but yeah, we'll see how we manage."
Last time out at Strade, Mohorič finished sixth behind Pidcock. Despite the alteration to the course this year, the Slovenian explained that he sees little need to adjust his plan of attack.
"I’ll do nothing different really,” he said. "You just have to try to be the best that you can on the day and also need to avoid any mishaps and then having to chase back on and then just hope to still have something left for the final.
"But I do really think that this addition or change to the course will significantly affect the race and it will become a little bit different I think."
The new course has not escaped the attention of Pidcock, either. "The change in course this year is certainly going to change the dynamic of the race a lot," the 24-year-old said on Friday. "The race wasn’t crying out for extra kilometres so it will make it that extra bit harder that’s for sure. 40 km from Le Tolfe feels a long way."
Both Pidcock and Pogačar won the race with long distance attacks. Mohorič is expecting much the same this year.
"When you are in the heat of the race, it's hard to hold yourself back," he explained. "Especially having experience from the past years, I would be surprised if most riders would wait longer before they go for it."
Earlier this week, Pidcock’s coach told Cycling Weekly that Pogačar’s presence on the startline won’t mean that Ineos Grenadiers need to do anything differently. The two-time Tour de France champion sat last year’s race out but his return has automatically seen him branded as the favourite.
Mohorič agreed with Ineos’ approach, saying that the only point at which Pogačar’s presence would matter is if he is present in a select group as the race gets closer to Siena.
He said: "It's Tadej's first race [of the year], so of course, he's the ultimate favourite, but he might also not go as well as everyone expects, or he might we don't know. But for me, for Tadej to be there doesn't change anything.
"It's a WorldTour race, it's one of the most beautiful races of the calendar and that's already enough to keep the motivation high and for everyone to give their best and then inevitably, all of that leads to the fact that it's a trophy that everyone inevitably wants.
"So there's many guys who end up being very good on the day and Tadej being there or not being there doesn't change much.
"I'm not going to pull equal turns with him to the finish because then I'm going to lose the race you know but apart from that it doesn't change anything."
