Alan Hatherly continued his rich vein of form when he won the African Continental MTB Cross-Country Championships in Egypt on Sunday.
Hatherly won the second SA MTB Cup Series XCO event early this month, followed by a bronze in the Commonwealth Games cross-country race two weeks later. He had had his season interrupted when he fractured his wrist during the Tankwa Trek in February.
“I am very happy to walk away with the Elite African Continental Championship title again,” Hatherly said. “The points that go with it will help with my seeding in my first year racing Elite next year.”
Alan Hatherly pictured during the African Continental MTB Cross-Country Championships in Egypt on Sunday. Photo: Supplied
In a field of 18 riders, Hatherly originally saw compatriot Stuart Marais as the biggest threat. Marais eventually came home second.
“I knew it would be Stuart and me who would be leading the race out,” he said. “I went out at my own pace on the first lap and came through with a 10-second lead.
“I used my Wahoo Elemnt to keep my pacing right and I pushed my limits to keep up my intensity.”
On a dry and flat course, Hatherly flourished in the conditions. “The technical aspects were not too bad and with only 100m of climbing per lap we had around a 23km/h average speed.”
Hatherly completed the eight-lap race in 1:24:41, beating Marais by just under seven minutes. Namibian Drobisch Till rounded out the podium a further six minutes behind.
