In tears at the finish, in tears on the podium, the Slovenian was still in tears when his compatriot Tadej Pogacar fell into his arms after crossing the line in Poligny a quarter of an hour late, warm in the peloton of the yellow jersey Jonas Vingegaard.

It was with rare emotion that Mohoric welcomed his third victory on the Grande Boucle, two years after his double in the 2021 edition.

Because he ripped it off with guts and a touch of malice when he threw his bike on the line to beat Kasper Asgreen in the photo-finish.

Because it comes a month after the death of Gino Mäder, his Bahrain teammate, who fell into a ravine on the Tour de Suisse. "It's for him," stammered the Slovenian after already signing the third success of his team on this Tour after those of Pello Bilbao and Wout Poels.

But also because it is the Tour de France, quite simply, "the hardest race in the world" where "raising your arms changes your life" and where they are "every day 150 to aim for victory" and as much to "deserve it".

Slovenian Bahrain cyclist Matej Mohoric (right) sprints with Soudal Quick-Step Dane Kasper Asgreen (left) at the finish of the 19th stage of the Tour de France in Poligny on July 21, 2023 © Marco BERTORELLO / AFP

Barely off the bike, the 28-year-old Slovenian launched into a vibrant tribute to the peloton by regaining his usual machine-gun flow, despite some sobs and a lot of emotion.

"You sacrifice your life"

"This win means so much to me. It's so hard and cruel to be a professional rider. You suffer a lot, you sacrifice your life, your family just to be ready to come here. And then, after a few days, you realize that everyone is incredibly strong, that it's hard just to keep the guy's wheel in front."

Then come the doubts that assail even a rider as strong as him, winner of a Monument (Milan-SanRemo) and trompe-la-mort in the descents that he learned to tame young in the Slovenian mountains.

"Sometimes you feel like you don't have a place at this table because the level is so high. But then you see the management that gets high for you, the mechanics who work until late at night. It helps you get back on track in the morning. This victory is also for them."

The Slovenian then recounted his day of galley Wednesday in the terrifying pass of the Loze that he climbed like a dead in reprieve, "completely emptied".

Danish Jumbo-Visma cyclist Jonas Vingegaard, yellow jersey during the 19th stage of the Tour de France between Moirans-en-Montagne and Poligny on July 21, 2023 © Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP

"And then I looked at the riders next to me and they were suffering just as much. So we hang on."

Last hurdle for Vingegaard

And when "everyone is exhausted", he continued, "it is the mind that makes the difference".

Like Friday, when he drew very deep to take the wheel of Kasper Asgreen when the Dane accelerated in the Côte d'Ivory, about thirty kilometers from the finish.

"I was suffering martyrdom but I knew it was the right move, Kasper was so strong, stronger than me," Mohoric said.

But at the finish, it was he who crossed the line as a winner after beating the Dane, winner the day before in Bourg-en-Bresse, by such a tiny margin that he had to wait for the photo-finish to validate his result.

"In the important moments, I manage to keep a cool head," he said.

The peloton, with the yellow jersey Jonas Vingegaard, arrived almost 14 minutes late, riding on a senator's pace because no rider dangerous for the general classification had slipped into the breakaway.

For the Dane, who is still 7:35 ahead of Pogacar, there is now one last hurdle to overcome, Saturday during a six-pass stage in the Vosges, to seal his triumph and celebrate it for the second consecutive year Sunday on the Champs Elysees.

© 2023 AFP