One guy who has overwhelmed the likes of Tom Pidcock is Alan Hatherly. On the 2024 UCI Mountain Motorcycle Global Championships in Andorra, Hatherly rode to a rainbow jersey, hanging 39 seconds into the then-Ineos rider, who earned a bronze medal.
Now, Hatherly is attempting his success within the WorldTour peloton with Staff Jayco-AlUla. From Cadel Evans to Puck Pieterse, it’s no longer unusual for mountain bikers to change to the pavement or transfer between disciplines —simply ultimate week, Mathieu van der Poel introduced he’ll skip street worlds this season in favour of making an attempt his success in cross-country mountain cycling once more. However a brand new crop of mountain bikers —Hatherly, along with names like Laura Stigger (SD Worx Protime) and Mona Mitterwallner (Human Powered Well being)— are focused on the paved pastures this 12 months along with the paths. However how will they fare? Are the strengths of mountain bikers related to that of a street specialist?
Pidcock leads the breakaway up the climb all over the AlUla Excursion, which additionally incorporated MTB rival Alan Hatherly
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In Hatherly’s case, we have already got early-season racing to inspect. On Degree 2 of the AlUla Excursion, the South African completed 3rd, 7 seconds again from degree winner Pidcock on a hilltop end. He positioned 2nd, once more to Pidock, on Degree 4, which featured an important climb sooner than a downhill end. Then again, he slipped again to sixth position in GC following a windy flat ultimate degree.
The degree effects display that Hatherly can dangle his personal in opposition to the likes of Pidcock all over races with punchy uphill finishes. How the 62 kg rider will fare on longer climbs has but to be observed. We’re additionally excited about his time-trialling talent since cross-country mountain motorbike occasions ceaselessly turn out to be ITT-esque efforts as soon as competitors are shed.
Mountain bikers are naturally just right at punchy climbs since cross-country lessons are affected by steep climbs which can be hardly quite a lot of mins in period. Additionally they desire a robust kick to get off the starting point and into place and in case they arrive to the end in a small team.
SD Worx’s new recruit Laura Stigger is a XC Global Cup-winner in addition to a junior street global champion.
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SD Worx’s new recruit Laura Stigger is a brilliant instance. Final fall, the Global Cup spherical in Lake Placid, New York, featured a quick and tactical route, with huge teams of riders staying in combination all through the race. The overall lap used to be a four-woman fight, with Stigger sooner or later outkicking her Specialised teammate, Sina Frei, to the road.
Stigger gained the junior street race on the 2018 Global Championships in Innsbruck, Austria, however she doesn’t have a lot street enjoy past that.
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“[On the road] I think I am more of a puncher type, although I have yet to discover that myself,” Stigger mentioned in a workforce press liberate. “I first came into contact with road cycling at the 2018 world championships in Innsbruck. I am from that region and those around me suggested I should try to qualify. That succeeded and I also ended up winning the world title in my home city. Totally unexpected. A wonderful memory.”
The Austrian mentioned her authentic plan used to be to proceed mountain cycling after the 2018 race, however round the similar time, she met Anna van der Breggen, who inspired her to discover racing at the street. A couple of years later, the 2 are teammates within the peloton.
“I think my [bike handling] skills from mountain biking will come in handy,” Stigger mentioned “I hope to make important strides in both road cycling and mountain biking by combining both disciplines.”
Mona Mitterwallner of Staff Human Powered Well being is a two-time Marathon MTB champion.
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Twenty-three-year-old Mona Mitterwallner additionally has restricted enjoy at the street, however within the grime, the mountain biker has gained two elite Global Cups and is a double Global Champion within the longer Marathon MTB self-discipline.
Naturally, Mitterwallner is having a look ahead to the usage of her mountain climbing talents at the street and in addition mentioned she is having a look ahead to degree racing.
“I wanted a new challenge and to develop myself,” Mitterwallner mentioned. “I love climbing. In MTB, you’re climbing for two or three minutes, but in road racing, you do it for over an hour. That’s something I want to try, and I think I will be good at.”
The Austrian additionally discussed that Puck Pieterse’s good fortune throughout disciplines motivated her to race each disciplines this 12 months. Curiously, she’s going to race for Mondraker within the grime as an alternative of HPH’s sponsor, Issue Motorcycles.
Every other mountain biker hiding within the street peloton this season is Purple Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe’s Adrian Boichis. He raced some lower-level degree races in 2022 and 2023 with Trinity Racing, however simplest competed in MTB in 2024.
Little has been introduced about those racers’ calendars, however Jayco showed that Hatherly will race Ruta del Sol sooner than tackling a mixture of WorldTour and different races this spring. Stigger will get started her season this weekend at Setmana Valenciana. The entire riders discussed plan to combine in mountain cycling as smartly.
Till then, those riders be offering an intriguing storyline to apply this season.
