The 29-year-old South African defended his Men’s Elite XCO world title with a solo masterclass in Crans-Montana.
Crans-Montana, Switzerland (16 September 2025) – If you log onto the official UCI Mountain Bike Twitter page right now, you will see a South African face proudly greeting the world, and that is Alan Hatherly. And it’s no wonder. This past weekend, the 29-year-old produced the ride of his life to defend his Men’s Elite XCO World Championship title, keeping hold of the famous rainbow jersey for a second consecutive year.
The rainbow jersey is one of the sport’s most prestigious symbols. It is awarded to the reigning world champion. For Alan Hatherly, wearing it means he is recognised as the best rider in the world in his category for the entire year.
Alan showed his authority on the race almost immediately. From lap two, he launched a quick attack that left the field having to catch up. Within minutes, he had opened a gap of 1:30, a lead so commanding that it became a time trial against himself. Even as Italian rider Simone Avondetto tried to close in late, Hatherly’s dominance was never in doubt. He crossed the line 48 seconds ahead, securing his place among mountain biking’s elite.
“It’s been a tough year balancing doing road racing and mountain bike, but I just focused on the mountain bike the last month, and winning again was a big goal,” Alan explained after the race. “I just had one of those days. It would be hard for me to repeat a performance like that, I think. All the stars aligned.”
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While Alan soared, other big names faltered. Dutch superstar Mathieu van der Poel, widely tipped as a title contender, struggled on the Swiss course and finished outside the top 25. For Alan, it meant that the door was wide open to dominate.
The back-to-back world titles mark a historic achievement for South African cycling. Few athletes manage to defend a rainbow jersey, and even fewer from outside Europe have risen to this level of consistency in the sport.
Now, as his face beams from the UCI’s global platform and his rainbow stripes return home.
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