Matej Mohoric has suggested that illness may have been the cause of his lackluster performance at the Tour de France, revealing that he recently contracted COVID-19 and may also have contracted the Epstein-Barr virus.

The Slovenian, who leads the Bahrain Victorias team, was again raided by police at the Tour, but this time he was largely unknown, having won two stages at last year's event.

Due to his performance and fatigue after the Tour, he underwent blood tests.

"I was not in good shape at the Tour and struggled to recover afterwards," Mohoric wrote on social media.

"Blood tests revealed that I have an asymptomatic covid infection and may have also recently had an Epstein-Barr virus infection.

"I want to get more rest and get back in shape so I can race more before the end of the season."

Mohoric completed the Tour and tested negative for the COVID-19 test before the race, the official test on the two rest days, and the rapid test conducted by the team.

He has not stated when he may have contracted COVID, but it is quite possible that he had it before the Tour and had time to test negative, but perhaps had residual symptoms despite the lack of symptoms.

As for Epstein-Barr virus, Mohorich is more vague, but it is a virus that causes mononucleosis and can have serious long-term effects on performance. Mark Cavendish battled this virus for years and complained of the typical symptoms of extreme fatigue.

Mohoric will now take a rest period, but has expressed a desire to return to racing before the end of the season. After winning the Milano-San Remo in the spring, he is scheduled to race in the late season classics and the World Championships in Australia in the fall.