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Alan Hatherly powers to men's elite cross-country Olympic (XCO) gold at UCI Mountain Bike World Championships as Mathieu van der Poel finishes 29th
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Published 14/09/2025 at 18:09 GMT+1
Alan Hatherley proved the strongest in the men's cross-country Olympic (XCO) race in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, with the South African powering clear from Simone Avondetto of Italy and France's Victor Koretzky to take gold. Hatherley was in a league of his own as he secured a winning margin of 48 seconds over Avondetto, with Koretzky a further three seconds adrift.
'What a race' - Hatherly is crowned world men's elite XCO champion
Video credit: TNT Sports
South African Alan Hatherly successfully defended his rainbow jersey in the men's elite cross-country Olympic (XCO) title on the final day of the 2025 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships taking place in Valais, Switzerland.
On the same Crans-Montana course earlier in the day, Canada’s Isabella Holmgren claimed her second consecutive XCO title of UCI World Championships in the women's under-23 category.
Hatherly delivers rainbow jersey for Rainbow Nation
France’s Victor Koretzky and USA’s Christopher Blevins – gold and silver medallists respectively in Tuesday’s cross-country short track (XCC) – went straight to the front, along with Hatherly, Chile’s Martin Vidaurre, Swiss riders Fabio Puntener, Luca Schatti and Mathias Fluckiger, Italian Luca Braidot and French racer Mathis Azzaro.
Mathieu van der Poel – aiming to add a mountain bike world title to those of road, cyclo-cross and gravel – started in 33rd position and pushed into seventh by the start of the second of ine laps.
On Lap 3, 2024 UCI world champion Hatherly passed Koretzky who led a group of seven, as Braidot and his fellow Italian Simone Avondetto rubbed shoulders with Schatti and Fluckiger, with Van der Poel and Blevins in contact.
Van der Poel soon drifted back behind Denmark’s Simon Andreassen, and Blevins dropped out of the top 10. Fluckiger had been circulating on his own in second before being drawn back into a group of five with Schatti, Koretzky and the two Italians – a minute behind the metronomic Hatherly, who clocked sub-10 minutes for each of the first six laps.
With two laps remaining, Andreassen – junior XCO UCI world champion in 2014 and 2015 and UCI Mountain Bike Marathon (XCM) world champion in 2024 – joined the chasers to form a group of six, but Hatherly was already 90 seconds clear.
Fluckiger forced the pace, with 2022 under-23 UCI world champion Avondetto, then European champion Schatti clawing back to him.
Avondetto attacked to claim silver, as Koretzky caught the Swiss duo and timed his sprint perfectly to take bronze.
Hatherly hit his season’s peak form brilliantly, to retain the title in 1:30.30, with Avondetto crossing the line 48 seconds adrift.
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'What a race' - Hatherly is crowned world men's elite XCO champion
Video credit: TNT Sports
After briefly threatening a challenge, Van der Poel came home in 29th place.
A delighted Hatherly said: "I think I just had one of those days. It would be pretty hard for me to repeat a performance like that. All the stars aligned.
"It’s been really tough to combine both [road and mountain bike], but defending this [UCI] world title was a big goal from the beginning of the season.
"It was really difficult to balance the two, but the last month I just went full mountain bike."
Holmgren doubles up
On a track dampened by overnight rain, the 50-strong women's under-23 field found the first rooty section a tough challenge.
It was France’s Olivia Onesti – one of the few riding a hardtail – who was clean up the first climb, ahead of Vida Lopez de San Roman (USA), Valentina Corvi (ITA), reigning champion Isabella Holmgren and the first Swiss rider, Monique Halter, one of the many who slipped on the steep descents.
Holmgren passed 2024 UCI World Championships silver medallist Onesti and stretched out a lead of 45 seconds by half distance, as she chased an XCC / XCO double.
Behind them were Corvi, winner of the last three UCI World Cup rounds, with Lea Huber and Anina Hutter joining Halter to make three Swiss riders in the top seven, while pre-race favourite, Canada’s Ella MacPhee, dropped back, finishing in 15th place.
Another Swiss pair, Elina Benoit and Chiara Soler, passed Ava Holmgren (CAN), Sina van Thiel (GER) and Katharina Sadnik (AUT).
The gaps grew at the front, as the Canadian took the bell with a two-minute lead. Third-placed Onesti crashed and bravely remounted but was unable to finish.
Holmgren won in a time of 1:17.24 to retain her title and confirm a double rainbow in a sparkling week.
Lopez de San Roman took silver and Corvi the bronze.
"It feels really good and I’m so excited," said Isabella Holmgren. "My sister had a good race too and I’m so proud of her and I’m just really happy.
"It’s so special having family here, it gives me some extra watts on the climbs."
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