We’re in the thick of the 2023 UCI XCO Mountain Bike World Cup and it’s not only Alan Hatherly and Candice Lill that are making South Africa proud. Here’s a look at which South Africans are contesting the UCI XCO World Cup races and how they are faring so far…
By Sean Badenhorst
There was some frustration that the riders only had four weeks’ notice that the 2023 African XCO Champs would be hosted by Cycling South Africa at Thaba Trails, Johannesburg on 3 and 4 June. But the volume of UCI points that were earned by South Africans at that event has seen an immediate benefit for our top XCO racers currently in Europe.
Alan didn’t really need additional UCI points as he’s one of the top XCO racers in the world, so he skipped the continental showpiece, which allowed other South Africans to earn UCI points. And South Africans made sure they scooped a bucket-load of points at the XCO races on the Saturday and the XCC races on the Sunday.
While there were a few African nations that contested the event, South Africa was utterly dominant, collecting 19 of the 21 medals and most of the UCI points on offer. Smartly, a few Under-23 South African men raced in the Elite men’s race as it offered greater points. Fifth in the Elite men’s race earned more than first in the Under-23 men’s race.
Our top racers returned to Europe with better UCI World Rankings which has led to the building of a South African XCO wave never seen before. Here’s how it’s going for Alan, Candice and Co.
ALAN HATHERLY
As we have seen, Hatherly has been in superb form so far in the World Cup races. Winner of the inaugural XCC World Cup Series last year, he seems more focused on success in the XCO races this year, although crashes in the XCC races at Nove Mesto and Lenzerheide affected his results there. He was 10th, 2nd and 4th in the XCO at the first three World Cup rounds respectively is and currently fifth in the overall series with five rounds remaining. A XCO World Cup win is sure to happen this year.
CANDICE LILL
After placing 25th in the XCO at the first World Cup in Czech Republic, Candice returned to South Africa, won the XCO and XCC African titles and secured enough UCI points to move into the Top 40 in the UCI World Rankings. That enabled her to contest the XCC races for which only the top 40 are eligible, garner more UCI points and start a bit closer to the front in the XCO races. She admits she’s yet to have a XCO World Cup race where everything goes right, but she’s showing great confidence and composure, and is sure to finish in the top 20 soon. For perspective on Candice’s progress: at Nove Mesto in 2021, she was 47th, 10:20 off the winner; in 2022 she was 31st, 7:39 off the winner and in 2023 she was 26th, 4:03 off the winner.
JOHAN VAN ZYL
Racing for the Computer Mania team, Van Zyl is the South African Under-23 XCO Champion and the African XCC Champion. Curiously, H-he races without a dropper seatpost and is as tough as a piece of biltong left under a car seat for a few weeks. With the points he collected at the African XCO Champs, he was able to compete in the Under-23 XCC races at Lenzerheide and Leogang. This helped him to start nearer the front in the XCO races two days later. In the XCO races, he was 30th at Nove Mesto and 25th at Lenzerheide. He’s settled into World Cup racing well and is sure to have at least one top 20 finish this season.
LUKE MOIR
After showing impressive talent as a Junior, there were high hopes for Luke’s career. But inconsistency has followed him closely both locally and internationally as an Under-23 racer and he hasn’t quite lived up to expectations… Until this past weekend, where he was 20th in the XCC and then 14th in the XCO, just 27 seconds behind 10th and 2min24sec off the winner. A recent change in coach could well be the reason for the Trek racer’s improvement and hopefully he will carry this confidence and form consistently through the next rounds of the World Cup and race to his potential.
TYLER JACOBS
For someone that only started riding mountain bikes in 2021, Tyler’s rise has been rapid and impressive. After dominating as a Junior in South Africa last year, she’s facing the reality of World Cup racing in her first Under-23 year and holding up pretty well. The Computer Mania racer forced Candice Lill to sprint for the XCC win at the African XCO Champs and the pocket-full of UCI points she earned at Thaba Trails has ensured she can compete in the World Cup XCC races. She was 14th in the XCC at Leogang and 26th in the XCO, 6:23 off the winner and 2:59 of 10th place. At only 18, she has a bright future.
JAEDON TERLOUW
Although he races mostly on the road for the Honeycomb Road Team in South Africa (he was third at the 2023 Cape Town Cycle Tour), Jaedon’s first love is mountain biking. He was third in the Elite men’s race at the African XCO Champs (behind Phil Buys and Johan van Zyl). He then headed to the Tour of Mauritius Road event and then to Leogang for his first ever World Cup race. In a less than perfect race, he finished in 75th place 8:45 off the winner (there were 116 starters). Although his racing focus is split between road and XCO this year, Jaedon’s undoubtedly one of the up-and-coming South Africans to watch in MTB racing.
We are only three rounds into the 2023 UCI XCO World Cup/Series, but we have never had this many South Africans competing at this level. As fans, our primary focus is obviously on Alan and Candice in the Elite races, but in the next couple of years we will also likely see Johan, Luke, Tyler and Jaedon doing battle in the Elite ranks. And more after them because we have a very solid XCO racing foundation in South Africa now and some strong racers in the Junior category currently.
For this positive period in XCO racing, gratitude must go to both Cycling South Africa for securing the 2023 African XCO Champs, which provided a valuable world-rankings boost for these riders; and the sponsors of these riders, who have given them the opportunity and support required to perform at their best against the top racers in the world.
The remaining rounds of the 2023 UCI XCO World Cup Series are:
Round 4: 29 June- 2 July – Val di Sole, Italy
Round 5: 24-27 August – Pal Arinsal/Vallnord, Andorra
Round 6: 15-17 September – Haute Savoie, France
Round 7: 27-September-1 October – Snowshoe, USA
Round 8: 5-8 October – Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada
