Slovenian cyclist wins Tour de France 2023 by 0.004 seconds
Yesterday's stage 19 featured an average climb of 173 km from Moirans-en-Montagne to French Poligny.
The race was intense, fierce with an average speed of 49.1km / h - one of the fastest in the history of the Tour de France. Fred Wright of the Bahrain Victorious team said it was "one of the hardest days of my cycling career".
Australian cyclist Ben O'Connor of the AG2R Citroen Team led the group of three riders who split in the sprint. But Soudal-Quick-Step's Mohoric and Kasper Asgreen overtook O'Connor and finished almost at the same time - 3 hours 31 minutes 2 seconds.
After the organizers announced Mohoric won with 0.004 seconds, the 28-year-old cyclist collapsed to cover his face and sobbed. According to ESPN, this is the closest win distance in Tour de France history.
This is Mohoric's third stage victory in the Tour de France, after finishing first in stages 7 and 19 in the 2021 tournament. The Slovenian driver also helped the Bahrain Victorious team win the third stage at this year's tournament, after Pello Bilbao in stage 10 and Wout Poels in stage 15.
Mohoric dedicated the victory to his former teammate and friend Gino Mader - the Swiss racer who died after a horrific accident falling off a cliff at the Tour de Suisse last month. He expressed, "It makes things confusing and makes you doubt what you do. But in the end the world goes on. I really want to do my best for Mader."
"This win means a lot because being a professional cyclist is tough and cruel," the 28-year-old added. "You suffer a lot during the preparation, sacrificing your life. We spend more time with our teammates than with family. You do everything you can to get ready. And after a few days you realize that it's all strong, which sometimes it's hard to keep track of behind the wheel."
Defending champion Jonas Vingegaard finished 37th stage 19, 13 minutes 43 seconds behind Mohoric. But the Danish driver still holds the Yellow Vest overall with a total time of 75 hours 49 minutes 24 seconds, maintaining a distance of 7 minutes 35 seconds with Tadej Pogacar, the Slovenian champion in 2020 and 2021.
ESPN believes that the last chance for Pogacar to hope to overthrow Vingegaard comes at the penultimate stage today with the 133.5 km long climbing journey of Belfort to Le Markstein, France. The closing leg of the Tour de France 2023 will take place on July 23, with a 115-kilometer flat journey from Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines to the traditional destination of the Champs-Elysees, Paris.
