Alan Hatherly has been knocking at the door for several years now in men’s cross-country, but 2024 is the season he finally got the answer he wanted. The South African rode a sterling, tactically perfect race on a dry, dusty course in Andorra to take the XCO World Championship in a breakthrough year where he also notched his first-ever World Cup victory not two months ago. Friday’s short-track winner Victor Koretzky (France) was runner-up for the second major XCO in a row, while Olympic champion Tom Pidcock (Great Britain) fought a gritty battle for third.
What was already a packed Sunday schedule – with U23 and elite men’s and women’s races all on one day and the women’s elite and U23 fields compressed into one race – got even more jammed when organizers moved up the starts due to forecasts for thunderstorms. But racing took place under partly sunny skies and the Pal Arinsal course familiar from World Cup rounds could honestly have used a bit of a drink, with tire-deep moon dust in many spots and ruts in the technical sections from eleventy events and practice sessions all week.
How it happened
- The usual frenetic start – with usual suspect Luca Schwarzbauer (Germany) at the front – quickly gave way to an elite lead group of seven, with Hatherly and Koretzky as well as Briton Charlie Aldridge and Luca Braidot of Italy. Pidcock, meanwhile, was stuck in traffic behind.
- Pal Arinsal intersperses straight-up-the-hill double-track climbs with moderate technical descents and rhythm-style pump-track/dual-slalom sections. It’s a course where getting into a groove is essential, and Pidcock, at least, could never quite find one.
- As the leading septet traded places and paces in the middle laps and dwindled from seven to five, Pidcock – always just a little bit off the pace – made a series of runs only to be set back by a bobble or other issue. Meanwhile, Hatherly stayed tucked in the lead, never pushing the pace but always attentive to others’ moves.
- On the fourth lap, with the lead group down to just Hatherly, Koretzky and Aldridge, Pidcock finally managed to make contact, dragging Mathis Azzaro (France) and Braidot up with him. He promptly went to the front but the move was short-lived and immediately exposed his fatigue from the work he’d done to get there. Koretzky and Hatherly hit the gas and for much of the last two laps the dynamic was a lead duo and two Brits on the chase.
- Still, Hatherly would not be drawn. Hatherly and Koretzky alternated between working together and testing each other, with Hatherly consistently taking the most technical lines on descents and Koretzky leading the pace on climbs. Behind, Aldridge chased alone with Pidcock briefly behind in fourth.
- On the last lap, Koretzky finally made his move on one of the long, steep, non-technical climbs. But Hatherly had apparently been hiding his own extra gear and, toward the top, came past the Frenchman and quickly distanced him. He was never threatened again and cruised to a satisfying solo win, 22 seconds clear. Pidcock, meanwhile, caught and passed Aldridge for third.
Brief analysis
- Body language at the finish said a lot: a jubilant Hatherly accepted a congratulatory hug from Koretzky, who could only concede the South African was simply better. Pidcock gave a tired and somewhat frustrated wave to fans, while a clearly delighted Aldridge – last year’s U23 World Champion and now in his first elite season – did a little 360° spin at the line.
- The usually strong Swiss team ended up largely being non-factors. Filippo Colombo and Nino Schurter were both present in the early lead group, but Schurter soon dropped back and Colombo eventually faded. Mathias Flückiger climbed through the field for eighth place, but the contingent was never really in the heart of the action.
- Azzaro, in his second elite season, is quietly rising through the ranks. He has two World Cup top fives this season and was part of a strong French team along with Koretzky and Jordan Sarrou. Just 24 years old, this is his standout result by far as a pro.
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