South Africa’s Alan Hatherly (Cannondale Factory Racing) dominated the elite men’s race at the final round of the 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Mont-Sainte-Anne, leading off the line and never looking in doubt throughout the race. His win also clinched him the overall title, the first South African to achieve this.

Hatherly was in a strong position going into the final round, but his overall title wasn’t a foregone conclusion. If Victor Koretzky (Specialized Factory Racing) took the win and Hatherly finished further down the pack, he could have swooped in and leapfrogged the South African on the overall standings.

Hatherly was on a flyer from the off, going solo to build a 20-second lead in the first lap…

As soon as the racing started though, it was clear that there was only way the series was ending.

Hatherly was on a flyer from the off, going solo to build a 20-second lead in the first lap. The UCI XCO World Champion continued to extend the gap between him and the chasing pack, which was led by Koretzky and Mathis Azzaro (Decathlon Ford Racing Team).

The pair kept Hatherly on an invisible leash, holding the rainbow jersey’s advantage at 30 seconds as the race approached its midway point.

Koretzky soon started the flag though – a season’s exploits catching up with the Frenchman as his chances of a second-consecutive XCC-XCO double started to fade. Azzaro – second-place in the XCC race – meanwhile appeared energised, and started to reel Hatherly in. By lap six, the Frenchman had finally got onto the race leader’s rear wheel, but within minutes Hatherly was out of the saddle, attacking to try and drop Azzaro just as he was recovering from his efforts. Azzaro initially held Hatherly’s wheel on the long, drawn-out climb, but the rainbow jersey soon started to disappear into the distance, increasing his advantage to 14 seconds as he crossed the start-finish lap for the penultimate time.

The Frenchman had nothing left in the tank, and Hatherly was able to complete a victory lap in front of huge crowds in Canada – the South African putting on a masterclass in Mont-Sainte-Anne.

While first and second were settled, there was a scrap for third with Charlie Aldridge (Cannondale Factory Racing), Koretzky and Simone Avondetto (Wilier-Vittoria Factory Team). Alridge appeared to have the advantage after attacking on the final long climb, but Koretzky simply doesn’t know when he’s beaten – the XCC overall series winner using his sprinting skills to overtake the Scotsman in the dying stages of the season to clinch third and confirm second in the overall.

Watch the highlights below:

Elite Women’s Race

South Africa’s Candice Lill delivered a strong performance in the elite women’s race, leading the field in the early stages. Lill, racing as a privateer, ultimately secured fourth place, finishing behind Loana Lecomte, Laura Stigger, and Sina Frei (first to third respectively).

This result meant Lill finished in an impressive third place overall in the XCO World Cup Series standings. Alessandra Keller secured the top spot, with Stigger in second.

Lill’s remarkable season has earned high praise, with TV commentators hailing her as “the rider of the season.”

As the 2024 season wraps up, anticipation is already building for what Lill will achieve in 2025.

Watch the highlights below:

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