Jayco AlUla pulls rabbit out of hat: world champion Hatherley makes transition to the road
CyclingThursday, 07 November 2024 at 10:38
This is a surprising announcement from Jayco AlUla.
The Australian team is signing Alan Hatherly up for two years. The South African, who had a great year in mountain biking this year, wants to expand his horizons and move to the road. The 28-year-old will thus follow illustrious names from the past, such as Cadel Evans. Not many names managed to have success on the road at a higher age after this transition.
2024 was a crazy year for Hatherly. He competed for a long time in the final Olympic mountain bike race, in which Tom Pidcock took the gold. Finally, he got his revenge at the World Championships in Andorra, which he managed to win. In addition, Hatherly scored so well in the World Cup that he won the overall classification in that competition.
Read more below the photo.
Hatherley finished third behind Pidcock at the Games, grabbing bronze.
At Jayco AlUla, they are curious to see what Hatherley can do on the road.
The man in question is already excited about the move. "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. I think now is the perfect moment for me to get out of the comfort zone and develop even further. Moving to a WorldTour 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."
Director Brent Copeland reacted with joy to the mountain biker's arrival. "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."
Il Lombardia 2024
Want to advertize on IDLProCycling.com? We’re already planning for the 2025 season
Meanwhile in the peloton | Unibet Tietema Rockets signs Italian climber Carboni
Performances in other disciplines should count for road rankings too, says UCI: "We want to change that"
Vingegaard responds cryptically to rumors: "I read somewhere that I might have to ride the Giro"
Visma | Lease a Bike will aim for grand tour podiums with Jorgenson: "It’s not impossible"
Latest Cycling News
Want to advertize on IDLProCycling.com? We’re already planning for the 2025 season
Meanwhile in the peloton | Unibet Tietema Rockets signs Italian climber Carboni
Performances in other disciplines should count for road rankings too, says UCI: "We want to change that"
Vingegaard responds cryptically to rumors: "I read somewhere that I might have to ride the Giro"
Visma | Lease a Bike will aim for grand tour podiums with Jorgenson: "It’s not impossible"
Popular Cycling News
French question credibility Pogacar again, TotalEnergies boss also lashes out at rich teams
Meanwhile in the peloton | Unibet Tietema Rockets signs Italian climber Carboni
Pogacar wants to go to Vuelta, but also to World Championships in Rwanda: "Will be toughest race to defend"
Evenepoel looks for new margins with Landa in U.S., is Merlier the rabbit out of the Tour hat?
📸 Glimpse of Van Aert's recovery, who is running and cycling, but must keep a close eye on his knee
Latest Comments
- Van Aert is really handsome. He can influence me all day! Ditto for Philipsen. Why do you think many of us love cycling?: to see heroic attempts at climbing mountains at high altitudes or to watch speedsters sprint for the finish line or to watch a human being ride at break neck speed down a tricky descent? No, it's all about their lean physiques and muscular legs. (apologies for objectifying these dedicated and amazing athletes).BarwonHeadsUp25-10-2024
- It is unfortunate that the author can't feel the joy that Pogacar brings to the sport and his fans who are legion and I for one feel lucky to have watched such a memorable performance and historic season From the Strada until yesterday with multiple wins in stages in both tours and beyond dominance in the World's. He is proud to wear the Rainbow stripes, shows his leadership to protect his fellows and is as courteous and sportsman-like as the sport allows. He goes early to not have to respond to each attack as all the rest would make him do it. Any racer who could would do the same. Don't "grow tired" of greatness as it is always fleeting.ccrider13-10-2024
- What load of rubbish. Pog is likely a once in a generation cyclist, the like of which hasn't been seen since 'the Cannibal '. How many people were complaining that Merckx was making racing predictable? I remember this year's World RR as one of the most exciting I've watched. Mainly BECAUSE Pog was the favourite and launched what everyone thought (Pog included) was a suicidal attack with 80km to go. For the next 2 hours, I was on the edge of my seat thinking "this is too much, even for Pog". Maybe Zonnefeld prefers the snooze-fest that is a bunch sprint? Like most people I know, I can't watch two hours of the bunch riding very fast... I wait for the final 5km and watch just the sprint. In any event, most races are won from a sprint or lone break. What difference does it make who makes the lone break? Ultimately, the other contenders will have to figure out a way to beat Pog. Even if that means collaboration between teams. It's going to be an exciting few seasons, until the next Pog arrives on the scene. If this is boring, heaven knows what exciting looks like!Michael513-10-2024
- This is not a gravel race. UCI fail, from the surface they are on to team tactics. In what country was the first "gravel race" in what country is the most popular gravel race? Go with the race model that created the discipline.
Barnes127411-10-2024 - And don't forget he has now won 4 of the big 10 races (Grand tours, Monuments and WC/OG) in one year with a chance to make that 5. (5 has only been done once before)Joostmehrtens05-10-2024