RIO GAMES MEN’S XCO RACE: HOW REID AND HATHERLY WILL FARE

It was a tense battle for selection that wasn’t without a little controversy. Ultimately though, James Reid and Alan Hatherly were the two South Africans chosen to represent South Africa at the Rio Olympic Games in mountain biking. They’re the best in our country, but how are they likely to fare against the best in the world?

By Sean Badenhorst

Only five other South Africans have competed in the mountain bike event at the Olympic Games since the sport’s inception in 1996. James Reid and Alan Hatherly will join Burry Stander, Philip Buys, Candice Neethling, Yolande Speedy and Erica Green in a rather exclusive club when they tackle the Rio Games men’s XCO race on Sunday.

The only medal hopeful of their predecessors was Stander in 2012, where he finished a gusty fifth in a memorable race that helped boost the general awareness of mountain bike XCO racing throughout South Africa.

Realistically, neither Reid (aged 24) nor Hatherly (aged 20) will top Stander’s result. Neither rider is at the same level that Stander was; but you can bet they’ll both be racing with maximum commitment as they give their all in front of the biggest television audience for a mountain bike race.

It’s worth noting that there are only 50 riders that will contest the Olympic men’s race. This is significantly fewer than the 100-130 that normally contest the World Championships and World Cup races.

Here are some relevant facts:

• Reid finished the recent World Championships in 47^th place, just under nine minutes behind winner, Nino Schurter.
• The 29^th placed finisher at the London Olympics XCO race was nine minutes behind the winner, Jaroslav Kulhavy.
• Philip Buys was 35^th at the London Olympics XCO race, 11 minutes behind Kulhavy. This included a crash and a puncture (to Buys, not Kulhavy).
• The average speed of the winner (Kulhavy) in London was 22.9kph.
• The average speed of the winner at the 2016 World Championships (Schurter) was 18.6kph.
• Schurter’s crew are predicting an average speed of 28kph for the winner in Rio (hence his shift to a 29-inch wheel bike from 650b).

Like London, the Rio course is very obviously man-made and manicured with long sections of fast-rolling hardpack surface and a mixture of climbs, interrupted with formidable rock gardens, and steep, obstacle-ridden descents. It’s pretty much made for maximum spectator value, with minimal trees and plenty of TV camera accommodation. It’s bound to be a fantastic race to watch…

It’s quite widely known that South African Nick Floros designed the Rio course (a great achievement in itself), which includes some of the signature obstacles from the Pietermaritzburg Cascades course, which has hosted World Cup and World Championship events with which Floros had significant influence.

How does this course suit Reid and Hatherly? Both Reid and Hatherly are technically sound when it comes to the obstacle sections, but Hatherly probably has the edge, based on his downhill-racing background.

Reid may find the long sections between obstacles suit him better than they do Hatherly. Reid has twice won the South African marathon championships title and seems to adapt well to different types of XCO courses, having won races at most South African XCO venues in the past three years.

The 1km climb up Flag Mountain is likely to be a key factor on Sunday. Said to be the longest climb on any international level XCO course, the ascent isn’t particularly steep, and is expected to suit the bigger riders such as Kulhavy. However, riders that attack this climb with too much exuberance early on are sure to pay in the latter stages. Reid and Hatherly will do well to pace themselves accordingly.

From a weather perspective, there’s unlikely to be any issues with heat on Sunday. In fact, rain may even play a role in adding to the challenge. The prediction is for a hot, humid day on Saturday (31 deg C), but for cooler conditions on Sunday (21 deg C) with a 64% chance of rain.

Some of the technical sections of the 5.4km course will be treacherous when wet, increasing the risk factor for every rider, but unlikely to hamper the South Africans too adversely since both cut their racing teeth in KwaZulu-Natal where muddy and/or damp surfaces are fairly common.

We believe that should they both go into Sunday’s race completely healthy and encounter no mechanical problems; that Reid will finish 25^th and Hatherly 30^th.

South Africa’s record at the Olympic Games:

Women:

1996: Erica Green 17^th

2000: Erica Green 25^th

2008: Yolande Speedy 22^nd

2012: Candice Neethling 28^th

Men:

2008: Burry Stander 15^th

2012: Burry Stander 5^th; Philip Buys 35^th

Tune into SuperSport 6 on Sunday night (17h30) to catch the race live. The women’s race on Saturday will also be live on SuperSport 6 (17h25).