Mohorič used a dropper post to drop everyone at Milan-San Remo
Mohorič used a dropper post to drop everyone at Milan-San Remo
Milan-San Remo is not usually a race known for tech innovation, but this year’s edition was no ordinary start to the Classics season. As all the pre-race attention focused on Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), and a host of non-starters, Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious) had different ideas.
Speaking in the post-race press conference immediately following his first Monument win, the other world-beating Slovenian explained how he had prepared all winter with San Remo in mind, including working with the team to add a dropper post to his Merida Scultura.
“I was thinking about this race for the whole winter,” Mohorič said after the race. “The team came up with the idea of using a dropper post because this race suits me pretty well and it has a descent at the end.”
Mohorič’s decision not to ride Merida’s aero-focused Reacto at first seemed at least a little surprising, but its aero-profiled seat post would have made using a dropper post impossible. The Scultura, on the other hand, features a round seat post and suddenly made much more sense as Mohorič was quick to explain his decision to race with a dropper post.
“The team set up a bike for me. We had this plan for a long, long time now,” Mohorič said. “I was thinking at first it’s maybe not going to make a huge difference on the descent, but then I tried it in the training and the first time I tried it, I was amazed at how much safer [it is]. If you go normally, it gives you way more control of the bike, and if you go full gas, of course you can go a little bit faster. It’s easier to avoid mistakes, or correct them when they happen.”
Mohorič’s descending skills are well-known, and the descent of the Poggio offered him a great opportunity in the season-opening Classic. As he crested the Poggio just behind the leading group, Mohorič quickly caught and passed the pre-race favourites, somehow escaped an almost certain crash-inducing roadside drain, and was on his way to victory.
Why run a dropper post?
With the option to drop his saddle, Mohorič could lower his centre of gravity, get more aero, and in some ways, circumvent the UCI’s ban on the super tuck. In fact, when the super tuck ban was introduced, many, including our own Nerd Alert Podcast nerds, speculated if this might signal the beginning of dropper posts in road racing. Seemingly, that beginning has now come.
The UCI rules forbid a rider to sit on the top tube, but do not (for now) forbid a rider to drop the saddle down to the top tube.
Mountain bikers have known for years that getting the saddle out of the way improves control on descents. It allows the bike to lean farther and allows for more freedom of body movement over top of the bike. This can make saving near-crashes a bit easier, too, something Mohorič tested a few times on his way down the Poggio.
It was not the first time Mohorič has stepped outside the descending box to good effect. Some credit him with inventing (or at least popularizing) the super tuck when he used the position to stay away from a charging field in the under-23 race at the World Championships in 2013.
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