Libourne (France) (AFP)
"I have a clear conscience": the winner of the 19th stage of the Tour de France Matej Mohoric assured Friday that he had never seen anything "illegal", two days after a search of the hotel of his Bahrain team.
"It seemed strange to me that my integrity was questioned," said the Slovenian at a press conference, a few minutes after crossing the line by passing a finger over his mouth like a zipper, as if to intimate the silence.
The gesture was intended "to remind all those who question our performance that we are making enormous sacrifices in our profession," said the runner from Bahrain, already winner of the 7th stage of the Grande Boucle.
"The investigation brought us closer to the team, we proved that we had nothing to hide", hammered Mohoric, who also confirmed that some phones had been seized by the gendarmerie.
Relaunched on the issue of doping, Mohoric said he had "never seen these things happen. I have never seen anyone do anything illegal."
"I have a clear conscience as far as I am concerned. If someone has to search my things or my phone, I accept it as long as my innocence is proven," Mohoric developed in reaction to the preliminary investigation opened on the 3rd. July by the Marseille prosecutor's office in order to "determine the reality or not of the offenses which justified its opening".
On Wednesday evening, the gendarmes of Oclaesp, the central office competent on the subject, carried out searches in the hotel occupied by the Bahrain team in the vicinity of Pau.
"If I take a step back, it's a good thing for the cycling world. There have been serious problems in the past in our sport," Mohoric concluded on Friday.
© 2021 AFP