A very special Silex to celebrate Matej Mohorič's victory at the 2023 UCI Gravel World Championships

Matej Mohorič's decisive victory last year on the then-unreleased Silex was a real milestone in Matej's racing career and Merida's product history. The Silex is very much designed with bike packing and adventure riding in mind, however, its versatility really came to the fore when Matej rode it to victory just days before it was unveiled to the world's cycling press.

With such an important win on its shoulders, we went back to the design drawing board and created a very special one-off Silex to celebrate this outstanding achievement.

The World Championship Silex features the famous five colours but in a spiral shape, positioned on the top tube and inside the fork. Instead of being rounded, the spiral has sharp edges and straight lines, reflecting the modern and hard-edged design of the new Silex. In addition, the bike's rear end has a stone-like finish, which represents the meaning of the word Silex (It is the Latin word for stone, pebble or flint).

Other design features include the MOHO nickname signature on the fork leg and the owl on the top tube. The owl is significant to Matej and is a key part of this design. The owl and the textbook underneath symbolise studiousness, wisdom, and science. Key elements that are close to Matej's heart. Furthermore, the rake refers to his humble upbringing on a farm, and the elegant walking cane refers to Matej's love for fashion and style.  

Finally, just above the bottom bracket, the bike bears Matej's full name, the location and distance of his victory and the all-important #RIDEFORGINO hashtag, a key message for Matej and the entire Team Bahrain Victorious.

Matej, who has been involved in the project from the very beginning, commented on his 'love' for the Silex and its unique paint job: "I love my new Silex, everything about it. Every time I ride it, it reminds me of why I started cycling and how happy it makes me. I also love my Reacto, but sometimes, I almost see it as my work tool. The Silex is different. I ride gravel for fun and adventure, and this bike brings out new emotions in me. Not only the focus and commitment to be the best athlete I can be but also the pure joy of riding and feeling alive and connected to nature. I'm proud to be the current World Champion and can't wait to show off the beautiful paint job at this year's gravel races. It's really exciting!"

Look out for Matej's Silex in action at selected gravel races throughout the year.

Take a closer look at the bike here.