South African Triumph at Les Gets: Hatherly, Lill, Minnaar Shine in Wet Conditions

Alan Hatherly won the Elite Men's XCO and XCC, Candice Lill finished second in the Elite Ladies XCO and Greg Minnaar came third in the DH.

THE BICYCLING STAFF | 8 July 2024

WHOOP-UCI-Mountain-Bike-World-Series—Haute-Savoie,-Les-Gets–Michal-Cerveny-10

Photo: Michal Cerveny

It was an epic weekend for South African riders at a wet and slippery Les Gets at the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series. Alan Hatherly won his first-ever XCO World Cup, Candice Lill finished second in the ladies race – a career-best for her and Greg Minnaar finished third in the DH.

Alan Hatherly Does The Double

Hatherly raised the South African flag as he crossed the finish line on Sunday in first place at the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Serie at Les Gets, France. Alan Hatherly has been consistently on the XCO podium in the past, but this is his first-ever victory in the Elite category. It was a superb weekend for the South African as he also won the XCC on Friday.

Alan Hatherly wins the XCC in Les Gets — Photo: Michal Cerveny

Hatherly finished in 1:23:14, 1:31 ahead of Mathias Fluckiger. Simon Andreassen rounded out the top three. Hatherly now leads the overall, 186 points head of Nino Schurter. With just a few weeks to the Olympics, Hatherly is a clear podium contender.

The podium for the Elite Ladies at the UCI MTB World Series, Les Gets — Photo: Michal Cerveny

A Career-Best for Candice Lill

Lill continues to improve with every race. After a disappointing DNF in the XCC due to a mechanical, she was relegated to start in the fourth row. But she didn’t let a poor starting position stop her and moved up the ranks throughout the muddy course to eventually finish second behind Puck Pieters. Alessandra Keller finished third, Jenny Rissveds fourth and Anne Terpstra rounded out the podium in fifth. After Lill’s third pace at Val di Sole, this is a career-best for the privateer. She now lies in fifth position overall. Another Olympic medal contender for sure.

The podium of the Men's DH race at Les Gets, featuring Greg Minnaar — Photo: Michal Cerveny

Minnaar Proves Once Again Why He is the GOAT

Greg Minnaar was first out the gate in Saturday’s Downhill race in Les Gets. In true Minnaar style, his run was focused and meticulous, even in the muddy conditions. It was a near-perfect run to keep him in the hot seat for most of the race. He was eventually unseated by Andy Kolb and Amaury Pierron to finish third. This is Minnaar’s 60th podium finish of his illustrious career, proving he truly is the Greatesst Of All Time.