Cyclist Mathieu van der Poel falters in the mountain bike World Championships, allowing Alan Hatherly to secure another XCO title victory.
In the heart of Switzerland, the mountain biking world came alive as Alan Hatherly successfully defended his XCO World Championships title in Crans-Montana.
Hatherly's victory was a result of a long solo effort off the front, which was pre-planned. The South African racer, who competed for Thömus at the start of the 2023 road cycling season, crossed the finish line with a lead of 59 seconds over Simon Avondetto.
Avondetto, who finished in second place, had a thrilling race, managing to keep up with Hatherly for a significant portion of the race. The podium was completed by Nino Schurter, who finished in 42nd place in his final Worlds before retirement.
In the women's category, Samara Maxwell and Alessandra Keller claimed the second and third places, respectively. However, it was Jenny Rissveds who took the women's world title, winning the race held a day earlier.
Meanwhile, Mathieu van der Poel's 2025 mountain bike campaign started off promisingly with a 6th place finish in Les Gets. But in Crans-Montana, his race was a challenging one. Van der Poel started the race in 33rd place on the grid and finished in 29th place, 5:35 down on Hatherly.
Despite the difficulties he faced, Van der Poel never even thought about quitting the race. The world title in mountain biking remains his dream, he told NOS afterwards. Van der Poel's 2025 season has now ended, but his mountain biking journey continues.
Hatherly, on the other hand, was delighted with his performance but admitted that it would be hard to repeat it. Defending the world title was a big goal for him from the beginning of the season.
Van der Poel's road racing skills were evident earlier in the season, as he won the road race world title in Glasgow in 2023 and has claimed the rainbow bands no fewer than seven times. However, his mountain biking career seems to present a different challenge, with Hatherly's knobbly tyres proving a tough competitor.
Despite the setbacks, Van der Poel's love for mountain biking remains. "It's still fun," he said, despite his legs being bad during the race. His 2025 mountain bike campaign, while not ending on a high note, has certainly set the stage for future challenges.
In the end, it was Hatherly who stood atop the podium, celebrating his well-deserved victory. The mountain biking world will be eagerly waiting to see what the future holds for both Hatherly and Van der Poel.
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