The Slovenian took the gravel world title on what appears to be a brand new Merida Silex gravel model
(Image credit: Future / Stephen Farrand)
Matej Mohorič raced to victory at the second-ever UCI Gravel World Championships yesterday. Arriving solo at the finish line in Pieve de Soligo, Italy ahead of defending champion Gianni Vermeeersch and Connor Swift.
Being a member of the Bahrain Victorious World Tour team means Mohorič raced on Merida frames and the Slovenian rode what appears to be a brand new and unreleased version of the brand's gravel bike, the Silex. Cyclingnews managed to take some shots of the winning bike at the end of the race.
The equipment and tech narrative in the run-up to last year's race was different with plenty of riders opting to use road bikes fitted with gravel tyres in a search for all-out speed. This year's course in the Veneto region of Northern Italy posed more of a technical challenge for competitors as well as rougher terrain and we outlined a lot of these in our comprehensive tech preview a few days before the event.
Mohorič ran a round handlebar paired with quite a long Vision NS ACR stem which allows for internal cable routing. Is the handlebar plug also attached to a tubeless repair tool? (Image credit: Future / Stephen Farrand)
Matej Mohorič is noted as being a rider with an eye for detail and for optimising some of his road bike setups to try and extract as much speed as possible. He's also the rider who very nearly made the road cycling world explode for a few days after winning a monument using a dropper seatpost.
Mohorič chose not to ride the Scultura Endurance GR gravel bike which Merida released in June, and instead looks to have raced on a new version of the Silex; more of a gravel all-rounder with an eight-model range currently. Perhaps this new frame is a racier version. Either way, a World Title is never a bad start for any new bike before it's launched officially.
The frame doesn't look like an all-out gravel aero offering, with a round seatpost and handlebar. There are dropped seatstays at the rear but they aren't extreme, though they are a different shape to anything in the current Silex range. Mounting points can also be seen on the fork legs and top tube of the bike which again signal bikepacking or adventuring capabilities.
The new Silex frame may appear to look a little more rounded than some aggressive gravel race bikes but Mohorič's setup is definitely focused on performance. The Slovenian used a Dura-Ace 2x groupset, an 11-34T cassette at the rear and the lowest chainring combination he could have had at the front was 34-50T. Mohorič also used his regular Dura-Ace SPD SL road pedals, which we saw lots of riders doing.
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The wheels are Vision Metron 45 SL disc clinchers with team-only white decals. Set up tubeless were Continental Terra Speed tyres which have a light tread pattern across the whole tyre and feature a puncture protection layer.
The bike is being scanned by a UCI official here, note the rubber chainstay protector to quieten any potential chain slap (Image credit: Future / Stephen Farrand)
We noticed this attachment on the non-drive side chain stay. It looks a little bulky to be a transponder (though we couldn't see one elsewhere on the bike) Could it be a spare or some new tech? (Image credit: Future / Stephen Farrand)
This looks like an additional FSA K - Force light seatpost but with an additional large FSA sticker. A saddle bag with spares is also fitted, something you don't often see on a world championship winning bike! (Image credit: Future / Stephen Farrand)
It's refreshing to see a round seatpost. Tyre clearance at the rear looks healthy and the Continental Terra Speed tyre tread looks like it's dealt with the terrain well. (Image credit: Future / Stephen Farrand)
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Tom joined the Cyclingnews team in late 2022 as a tech writer. Despite having a degree in English Literature he has spent his entire working life in the cycling industry in one form or another. He has over 10 years of experience as a qualified mechanic, with the last five years before joining Cyclingnews being spent running an independent workshop. This means he is just as happy tinkering away in the garage as he is out on the road bike, and he isn’t afraid to pull a bike apart or get hands-on with it when testing to really see what it’s made of.
He has ridden and raced bikes from an early age up to a national level on the road and track, and has ridden and competed in most disciplines. He has a keen eye for pro-team tech and enjoys spotting new or interesting components in the wild. During his time at Cyclingnews, Tom has already interviewed some of the sport's biggest names including Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogačar and Alberto Contador. He's also covered various launches from brands such as Pinarello, Ridley, Specialized and more, tackled the Roubaix Challenge sportive aboard his own rim-brake Cannondale SuperSix Evo, tested over 20 aero helmets in the wind tunnel, and has created helpful in-depth buying advice relating to countless categories from torque wrenches to winter clothing.
