South African MTB sensation Alan Hatherly is set to make waves beyond the mountain bike trails as he transitions to include road racing in his repertoire from 2025. Fresh off a stellar year, with victories at the 2024 MTB Cross Country World Championships and an Olympic bronze, Hatherly leaves Cannondale Factory Racing and has signed a two-year contract with Team Jayco AlUla, marking a new chapter in his career.

At 28, Hatherly has become a household name in South African cycling, dominating the MTB scene. Now, he’s taking on a dual-discipline approach by balancing both MTB and road cycling—an impressive feat achieved by only a select few riders at the highest level.

I think now is the perfect moment for me to get out of the comfort zone and develop even further

The transition isn’t entirely new for Hatherly, who already has a taste for road racing, having secured second place in the South African Time Trial Championships and won the Tour du Cap earlier this year. Joining Team Jayco AlUla’s WorldTeam, he’ll gain exposure to the world of pro road racing and benefit from a team committed to his growth across disciplines.

“I am incredibly excited for this new chapter in my cycling career and very grateful for the opportunity to ride for GreenEDGE Cycling for the next two seasons,” Hatherly said in a statement from the team. “I think now is the perfect moment for me to get out of the comfort zone and develop even further. Moving to a World Tour road team is of course something totally new for me, it will be a steep learning curve, and I will be learning from the best.

Combining road and MTB is new and refreshing and I am really looking forward to where this journey can go!”

Former South African and team manager, Brent Copeland, is confident the South African can cut it on the road circuit and still compete in the MTB discipline: “Alan has clearly had a breakthrough season in the MTB discipline, and it demonstrates that he has a lot more to give. We are thrilled to be able to work with such a talented rider and believe that our strong support network within the WorldTeam set-up is something that Hatherly will greatly benefit from. He has a lot of talent and clearly a lot of potential and we believe he can go far on the road.

“Of course, Hatherly is the current MTB world champion and will continue to have a focus in this field.”

With Giant as the team’s official bike supplier, Hatherly will continue his off-road commitments under Giant Factory Racing, sporting the iconic rainbow jersey as the reigning world champion.

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