Often on the mountain bike world cup podiums for several years, South African Alan Hatherly exploded in 2024 with the world title and a bronze medal at the Olympic Games. His next challenge: succeed in a career on the road and participate in the Tour de France.
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“ It’s every athlete’s dream to win an Olympic medal, so to achieve it today is incredible for me », said Alan Hatherly, 28 years old, bronze medalist in mountain biking during Paris 2024. With this third step on the podium, behind the British Tom Pidcock, and the French Victor Koretzkythe South African rider became the first representative of the African continent to be an Olympic medalist in mountain biking. Hatherly also signed the second medal for the rainbow nation in Paris, after that obtained in rugby sevens (bronze). Alan Hatherly represented South Africa at the Rio Olympics in 2016 finishing in 26th place, then in Tokyo in 2021 where he placed eighth.
“ We already knew he was destined for great things »
Alan Hatherly also won the world title a month after the Olympics in Andorra. Hatherly won the race ahead of Frenchman Victor Koretzky and Briton Tom Pidcock, from whom he succeeds on the list of winners. The Olympic podium in reverse! “ I’m very moved, I had good legs. Winning is a dream come truecommented Hatherly on Eurosport. I had put a lot of pressure on myself before this race to be up to the task for my family, my staff, my country.. » The icing on the cake, Alan Hatherly finished the 2024 season at the top of the general classification of the World Cup with two victories, in Les Gets in France and in Mont-Sainte-Anne in Canada.
Without abandoning mountain biking, it is on the road that the South African would now like to shine. In November, his cross-country team, Cannondale Factory Racing, announced his departure for the Australian team Jayco AlUla, which plays in the first division and is automatically entered for the Tour de France. “ When Alan Hatherly joined Cannondale Factory Racing (CFR) in 2021, we already knew he was destined for big things…. And he proved us right! “, indicated his former team in a press release.
“ I am incredibly excited about this new chapter in my cycling career and very grateful for the opportunity to take to the road. “, said the runner in this same press release, without putting aside the mountain bike. “ I think this is the perfect time to step out of my comfort zone and develop even more. The move to a World Tour team (first division) on road is obviously something totally new for me, it will be a steep learning curve and I will learn from the best. The combination of road and mountain biking is new and refreshing, and I’m really excited to see where this journey takes me “.
Living the same dream as many former mountain bikers
Since his beginnings, Alan Hatherly has never hidden his ambition to participate in the Tour de France, like many cyclists who started with mountain biking. We think in particular of the Australian Cadel Evanswinner of the Tour de France in 2011, or the Slovak Peter Sagan, first and only rider to win three consecutive road world championship titles. Sagan won eighteen stages on the Grand Tours, four on the Tour of Spain, two on the Tour of Italy and twelve on the Tour de France, also winning the Tour de France points classification seven times between 2012 and 2019, surpassing the record of German sprinter Erik Zabel.
If Alan Hatherly shows up at the start of the 2025 Tour de France, he will not be the first South African to have this experience. Before him, in 2007, his compatriot Robert Hunter won the 11th stage between Marseille and Montpellier.
In 2013, Daryl Impey took advantage of the victory of his team Orica-GreenEdge in the team time trial in Nice to take 2nd place overall behind his Australian teammate Simon Gerrans. Two days later, during the 6th stage between Aix-en-Provence and Montpellier, he took 13th place in the sprint. In the best ranked game, he took the yellow jersey. He then became the first African rider to adorn himself with the coveted tunic of Tour leader.
In 2021, Nicholas Dlamini was the first black South African rider to compete in the Tour de France. The one who grew up in a district of Cape Townwent through the African center set up by the International Cycling Union (UCI) in Potchefstroom, South Africa, before joining the Qhubeka continental team.
In 2025, Alan Hatherly could cross paths with Louis Meintjes, African road champion in 2015, who has participated in the Tour de France seven times. And the two South Africans should find themselves at the Rwanda in September for the very first World Championship organized on their continent.