Slovenian street professional Matej Mohorič gained the UCI Gravel World Championships on Sunday aboard an unreleased, however not very hidden Merida Silex gravel race bike. We caught up with him a night after the race in Italy for an up-close take a look at the brand new Merida gravel bike. And a fast chat a bit about why he selected a correct gravel bike over some to the endurance street bikes you’d discover within the gravel peloton. And what spares he carried in case he had a mechanical…
2023 Gravel World Champion Matej Mohorič’s unreleased Merida Silex
As is sort of de rigeur for professional UCI gravel race winners today, Matej Mohorič is at first referred to as a professional street bicycle owner, racing for Bahrain Victorious. Over the previous few years he’s gained phases in all three of the Grand Excursions, plus Milan-San Remo final 12 months. However chatting with him, it appears Mohorič could be very a lot an off-road rider at coronary heart. And he was fairly excited for the chance to place his street racing chops to the check on gravel.
With that stated although, the Gravel World Championships was his final deliberate race of the season. And he actually didn’t anticipate to be preventing for the win. Mohorič stated he went into his first Gravel Worlds simply hoping to have day on the bike and end close to the entrance.
What about this new bike?
The trick right here was that Merida had a brand new bike within the works. And he jumped on the probability to attempt it out.
Merida has launched the complete particulars simply but on the brand new bike. However the customized workforce paint job fairly clearly shouts that that is the alternative for their present Silex. Whereas that versatile gravel bike appears to have been fairly profitable for Merida over the previous 6 years, its tall headtube seems have been fairly divisive for anybody searching for a performance-focused bike.
What apparently satisfied Mohorič to race this unreleased Silex vs. Merida’s quick gravel endurance all-road bike, and even the identical Reacto that his ex-teammate Sonny Colbrelli rode to a muddy Paris-Roubaix win in 2021, was the long-wheelbase stability of the Silex.
What’s new on the bike seems like just about every thing at first look.
However apparently, even by way of particulars like subtly extra aero tube shaping, an built-in seatclamp, full inside cable routing, and dropped chainstays… the character of this upcoming Silex reboot was nonetheless about versatility. Not simply racing.
Apparently, this isn’t actually a gravel race bike. Fortunately no one informed Matej Mohorič that.
Professional roadie gravel bike setup
The primary trace that it is a professional street racer’s setup of what may be a mean Joe’s gravel bike is that extremely lengthy FSA stem. And that undeniable fact that the stem was slammed.
At first, I assumed Mohorič subscribed to the bizarre ‘flip your levers in’ crowd on his 40cm vast bars.
However in actuality, he simply had a crash in the previous few kms of the race when he was sprinting off the entrance for the win. And he couldn’t be bothered to attempt to mess with it when the brakes and shifting nonetheless labored and he had hungry racers closing in behind him.
How did Matej Mohorič customise his Gravel Worlds setup?
I had an opportunity to talk with Matej, and far of his bike setup got here all the way down to the final minute. And actually increase the frameset with no matter street elements the workforce had mendacity round their service course on the finish of the street race season. The truth is, his workforce mechanics received this Silex prototype prepared simply within the final week for him. They didn’t even have time to spherical up a Dura-Ace powermeter crankset. So, Matej raced Gravel Worlds simply based mostly on his heartrate.
Onboard gravel flat restore equipment
Apparently although, whereas most street professionals are used to being adopted by workforce automobiles with spare bikes and succesful mechanics, Matej informed us how he wished to be extra self-sufficient racing gravel. In fact, if he received a flat he wouldn’t seemingly get tremendous quick mechanical help anyway.
So, in his bar ends have been Muc-Off’s Stealth Tubeless Puncture Plug tire restore equipment. With the clear silicone protecting covers nonetheless in place. And Matej was fast to indicate how the detachable QR axle instrument he carried in his pocket may pull the serrated knife or plug instrument out in a second to repair a flat. Clearly, he knew what he was doing to enact a quick repair if wanted.
Below his saddle was additionally a small saddlebag with a number of CO2 canisters, a Muc-Off inflator and a small bottle of Stan’s tubeless sealant. Matej figured if he received a flat that he needed to restore rapidly on the roadside, he may squeeze in some further sealant, stab a tire plug in, and blast some air again into it earlier than the workforce automobiles would ever make their option to him.
In the long run, he had no mechanicals for your entire race due to clean using and nice luck. That in the end helped him distance the competitors. However he was clearly ready greater than we’re used to seeing from professional street riders.
Compact street gearing for gravel racing
Again to the ‘run what you brung mentality and a street bike construct, his Gravel World Championship-winning Silex prototype was constructed up with a fairly straight-forward Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 groupset with compact 50/34T gearing and an 11-34T cassette. No fancy gravel gearing required. But in addition loads of pace from a street compact setup, even for elite skilled racing.
A better take a look at the non-driveside of the unreleased next-gen Silex reveals ‘ol threaded backside bracket. And there dramatically dropped chainstays (beneath all of the Italian gravel mud) to supply ample tire clearance and 2x chainring compatibility.
I additionally not unsurprisingly that Mohorič was racing gravel on street pedals. In case you go quick sufficient, and by no means put your foot down, who wants walkable pedals, anyway!
There’s nothing way more professional than a ludicrously lengthy stem, with race notes taped on high.
Matej raced with this 140mm lengthy FSA ACR stem with all of his cables hidden inside. And his workforce marked out the place within the race they’d be standing roadside for a bottle hand-up, plus the one feed space the place he’d get a musette stuffed with snacks, too.
Precise gravel elements too!
About the one actual devoted gravel part exterior of the unreleased Silex bike itself, have been the tires.
Mohorič raced on a set of 40mm Continental Terra Velocity tubeless tires. Presumably with Stan’s NoTubes inside, based mostly on the spare bottle he was carrying in his saddlebag. And inside have been some light-weight tire liner inserts. Mohorič didn’t know which of them they have been. and even what coloration they have been, as I attempted to see if he may clue us in.
However he wished the added safety in case he flatted, since he was working the very light-weight carbon Imaginative and prescient Metron SL street wheels.
As an almost last-minute construct to be able to race Gravel Worlds on the brand new body, just about every thing else on the bike besides the tires is straight out of the Bahrain Victorious street service course, together with these Dura-Ace brakes with 160mm rotors.
Of notice, Matej raced with one in every of Merida’s detachable QR axle levers in his pocket because it features a 4mm/6mm Allen key for fast bolt tightening. But in addition a second one already put in on the rear axle to hurry up a wheel change if wanted. That rear one wasn’t in a really aero place both, based mostly on the mud that gathered through the race.
Doesn’t appear to have slowed him down a lot.
What’s subsequent for Mohorič as new Gravel World Champ and with a brand new Silex coming quickly?
The 2023 Gravel Worlds title wasn’t Matej Mohorič’s first rainbow stripes. He gained Junior Street Worlds in 2012 & U23 Street Worlds in 2013. However each of these occasions he moved up within the ranks the season after he gained these gold medals. So he by no means received to compete in a rainbow jersey. Now Mohorič says he gained’t miss that chance once more. And he’ll trip “a minimum of 2 or 3 or 4 or possibly 12” gravel races subsequent season to ensure he will get to indicate off a brand new rainbow equipment.
And he appears fairly proud of the brand new bike. He even talked about what he would change along with his race setup… Perhaps a 2cm shorter stem. However with some adverse rise to get the bars a bit decrease. However that’s about it. And has already talked about that he can’t wait till he will get one with a rainbow-themed paint job!
Coming quickly…
