Hatherly finished 48 seconds clear of his nearest opponent in the elite men's cross country race.
Alan Hatherly admitted he was nervous before the race, though he didn’t show it as he completely dominated the elite men’s cross country event to retain his title at the Mountain Bike World Championships in Valais, Switzerland on Sunday.
Hatherly broke clear of the rest of the field, opened a massive gap and held on to the finish line, which he crossed in 1:30:30 to retain the global title he won in Vallnord, Andorra last year.
He completed the race 48 seconds ahead of former European champion Simone Avondetto of Italy, who grabbed the silver medal, with French rider Victor Koretzky finishing a further three seconds back for bronze.
“I knew I had really good shape and I think that’s always the most nerve wracking when you know there’s a good chance you can do it,” said Hatherly, who secured the Olympic bronze medal in Paris last year.
“I knew exactly what was happening in the race, and the goal was just to get as big of a gap as possible, and I started to feel it with two laps to go, but luckily the gap was big enough that I could just ride my own race and then bring it home.”
Switching his focus
Despite largely concentrating on the road circuit ahead of the World Championships, 29-year-old Hatherly said he had switched his focus ahead of the cross country showpiece.
And he delivered in spectacular fashion in Valais, retaining the world champion’s rainbow jersey for another year.
“This was a goal from the beginning of the year, and I was fully focused over the last month,” Hatherly said.
“I came up just in time, and I managed to retain the jersey. I’m still living the dream, still wearing the rainbow, so I’m super, super happy.”
Tyler Jacobs secured bronze in the U23 women’s short circuit race over the weekend, ensuring the SA team claimed two cross country medals at the World Championships.
