Alan Hatherly and Candice Lill spearhead the South African team that will contest the 2024 UCI XCO World Championships in Andorra this week. Both have had their best seasons so far and should be considered medal prospects. How cool is that! But the altitude in Andorra offers a challenge that not all racers can master… Here’s what we can expect from the South African XCO contingent.
By Sean Badenhorst
It’s fitting that South Africa’s Alan Hatherly has, for the first time ever, moved to the No.1 spot in the UCI Elite XCO World Rankings this week. The South African ace secured the bronze medal at the Paris Olympic Games three weeks ago and not long before that, won both the XCC and the XCO World Cup races at Les Gets, France.
Hatherly is on the rise and, as South Africans, we couldn’t be more excited or proud! He won a French Cup race last weekend and looks to be in superb form with the confidence to match. One aspect that Hatherly will need to manage, particularly in Sunday’s XCO race, is the altitude.
At 1900 metres, Pal Arinsal is about 400m higher above sea level than Johannesburg. If you’re not accustomed to that, it can be a real challenge. Hatherly’s XCO results in Andorra haven’t been his best – 27th in 2019, 25th in 2022 (he was recovering from a cold) and a DNF in 2023 (this was due to a stomach bug). He also lost the South African XCO Championships race to Phil Buys in 2023 in Johannesburg (1500m above sea level), where he mentioned the altitude caught him a bit off guard along with a hard training block just before.
But earlier this year, Hatherly smashed his rivals by over three minutes at a South African Cup race in Johannesburg. It was a masterful display and confirmation that he can indeed perform at his peak in the thinner air. He will be looking to extend his 2024 success streak this week in both the XCC on Friday and the XCO on Sunday and become the second South African male to win a XCO World Championships medal. The late Burry Stander won bronze at the 2010 World Champs.
For Lill, her rising trajectory was interrupted by a broken rim at the Olympic Games where she was considered a medal contender. She finished second at her last World Cup race in Lets Gets last month and will be hoping to resume with the same race sharpness and level of confidence.
Her previous XCO results at Andorra have all been in the low 20s, but that was before her breakout 2024 season where she’s become a perennial podium contender. She’s also now ranked 7th in the UCI World Rankings and that’s a result of her consistency this year, particularly in the European World Cup races.
The other Elite category South African competing this week is Johan van Zyl. In his first year out of Under-23, he’s experiencing the higher pace and immense depth of the Elite men’s division and will be looking to gain important experience in the XCC and XCO races in Andorra.
Under-23 and Junior
South Africa has a strong Under-23 and Junior contingent in Andorra. Luke Moir has been impressive with his consistency in the 2024 World Cup races and is currently seventh in the Under-23 World Cup rankings. He’s up against a particularly strong Under-23 field this year and should be a top 10 contender in both the XCO and XCC, possibly even top five.
Moir is joined by Michael Foster and Unathi Nxumalo. Nxumalo has built up some solid international racing experience in the past year with his Pump for Peace team, while Foster has done most of his racing in South Africa. Both will be looking for smooth, problem-free performances as they build their careers.
Although he was selected, Massi Ambrosi isn’t competing at the World Championships, having recently moved to the United States to begin his tertiary education on a mountain bike racing bursary.
Tyler Jacobs is the sole Under-23 female representative for South Africa. She’s been competing in a few of the World Cup rounds and is currently lying 18th in the Under-23 World Cup rankings. Despite this being her first year of consistent international racing, she does have the potential for a top 10 finish in both the XCO and XCC.
Omar Wilson and Samuel Cleary will contest the Junior Men’s XCO race and Jodi Mackinnon will be South Africa’s sole representative in the Junior Women’s XCO race. They’re all new to international racing and will do well to maintain their composure in the early laps and charge hard for a strong finish. A top 20 is possible for each if they have problem-free races.
SuperSport will broadcast the Elite men and women’s race live. Not all on TV though, most on the streaming service. Details below.
2024 UCI World Championships XCO and XCC Finals
Friday 30 August
10h00: Junior Women XCO
12h00: Junior Men XCO
16h00: Under-23 Women XCC Final
16h45: Under-23 Men XCC Final
17h30: Elite Women XCC Final (Live on SuperSport Streaming – Ch950)
18h15: Elite Men XCC Final (Live on SuperSport TV – Ch206)
Sunday 1 September
09h00: Under-23 Women XCO
11h00: Under-23 Men XCO
13h30: Women Elite XCO (Live on SuperSport Streaming – Ch950)
15h30: Elite Men XCO (Live on SuperSport Streaming – Ch950)
Intro photo: UCI Mountain Bike
