South Africa’s Alan Hatherly will be looking to make his mark on the international stage when he participates in the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Albstadt this weekend.
Hatherly will be riding in the under-23 category and after missing the first world cup in Stellenbosch due to injury will be hoping to make a statement in the German version.
“I have high expectations. These events are major goals for me,” Hatherly told In the Bunch today. “It is the pinnacle of the sport having the best in the world come together.”
South Africa’s Alan Hatherly will be looking to make his mark on the international stage when he participates in the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Albstadt this weekend. Photo: BOOGS Photography/Andrew Mc Fadden
The Team Spur rider will be seeded 17th due to having missed the Stellenbosch race.
“That puts me in the third row so I will have to play my start quite carefully to move to the front,” he said.
He does not know what to expect from the conditions either.
“At the moment we are just trying to hang on with the weather. The whole week it has been miserable with a lot of rain and cold weather but today it is sunny,” Hatherly said.
“Hopefully the track dries up a bit and stays dry. In South Africa we are not really used to riding in rain and mud, so it will take an adjustment.
“The drier the course, the better for me,” he added.
Hatherly, who recently won the third SA MTB Cup Series event in Pietermaritzburg, feels his current form is “really good”.
“I managed to get in quite a lot of racing after my injury, so I have sharpened up and am back to full speed after the injury.”
While hoping to finish in the top-five, Hatherly said he was well aware of the challenges.
“The climbing on this course suits me, but the weather could throw a bit of a curve ball.
“Yesterday the bikes were jamming badly with mud, so it was almost impossible to do more than two laps without getting the bike washed.
“I will just have to see what happens and be prepared. The Europeans are more accustomed to these conditions and in that way they have the upper hand.
“I will definitely have to play it smart.”
Fortunately the climbs would be solid terrain, meaning he could use that part of the course to gain ascendency, Hatherly explained.
“All the climbs are like a limestone, semi-cement type surface, so I will be able to take on the climbs without slipping.
“I’ll be able to put all the power down and sprint all the way to the top. The climbs will be my strength here for sure.
“I will probably be able to catch up there, but if there is a lot of mud I may struggle to bridge the gap and catch up all the time. I may have to just limit my losses and be tactical.”
Getting a result was important, he said. “I need to move up in the world series ahead of the next world cup.
“The points here will be important to try to improve on my position and on the under-23 world cup standings. All my training and preparations from the whole year are geared towards these world cups.
“I really want it to play out to show all the hard work I’ve put in.”
