{"id":619627,"date":"2026-04-21T21:21:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T21:21:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/619627\/"},"modified":"2026-04-21T21:21:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T21:21:12","slug":"mtb-star-hatherly-risks-it-all-on-road-to-dominate-the-dirt-in-la-2028","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/619627\/","title":{"rendered":"MTB star Hatherly risks it all on road to dominate the dirt in LA 2028"},"content":{"rendered":"

Updated April 21, 2026 12:11PM<\/p>\n

Alan Hatherly<\/a> knows exactly what he wants: Olympic mountain bike gold at Los Angeles 2028<\/a>.<\/p>\n

How the South African MTB\u00a0king gets there is the intriguing part.<\/p>\n

The double reigning cross-country world champion walked away from mountain biking<\/a> dominance in a high-risk bet to swap disciplines mid-career and race on roads unknown in the WorldTour.<\/p>\n

For Hatherly \u2014 who barely raced on pavement before last year \u2014 it all loops back to LA 2028.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe long-term goal is going for the gold medal in the LA Olympics,\u201d Hatherly told Velo. \u201cThat\u2019s the ultimate reason behind the project, to get out beyond the comfort zone.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019s certainly doing that.<\/p>\n

Taking inspiration from multi-discipline stars like Tom Pidcock<\/a> and Pauline Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot<\/a>, Hatherly so far is deftly straddling road and dirt ambitions.<\/p>\n

After signing a two-year deal with WorldTour squad Jayco-AlUla<\/a> in 2025, he hit the road last spring before bouncing back onto singletrack to defend his XCO world title.<\/p>\n

This spring, he landed his first pro road podium with third overall at Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali in March.<\/p>\n

\u201cI proved last year I could race on the road at a high level and still be competitive at mountain biking,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd road racing is a new challenge for me, and the level is so high at the top of the sport, it\u2019s really beneficial when you take it back to mountain biking.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rather than stay top dog of the mountain bike world, Hatherly made the audacious bet that becoming a rookie on the road<\/a> would be the best way to strike gold in L.A.<\/p>\n

Stepping away at the top
\n\"HatherlyHatherly balanced his road ambitions and defended his stripes in mountain biking. (Photo: Fabrice COFFRINI \/ AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

That gamble is paying off big dividends this week.<\/p>\n

He lines up as a genuine dark horse for La Fl\u00e8che Wallonne<\/a> and Li\u00e8ge-Bastogne-Li\u00e8ge, and appears poised to start the Giro d\u2019Italia<\/a> for a grand tour debut.<\/p>\n

For anyone who might need an introduction, Hatherly has dominated much of men\u2019s cross country mountain biking in the post-Nino Schurter era.<\/p>\n

He won back-to-back world titles in 2024 and 2025, and the overall World Cup series title in 2024.<\/p>\n

Bronze behind Pidcock and French rider Victor Koretzky<\/a> at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games only whets his appetite for gold in 2028.<\/p>\n

So why walk away at the pinnacle of mountain biking just when he was poised to rule the dirt for the next few seasons?<\/p>\n

\u201cI was always interested in road racing and testing my full potential as a cyclist,\u201d Hatherly told Velo in a phone call. \u201cI want to keep learning and growing as an athlete. This was the ultimate challenge for me at this point in my career.\u201d<\/p>\n

A few things lined up to help Hatherly make the leap to road racing.<\/p>\n

First, he signed a deal with Giant, which also supplies WorldTour team Jayco-AlUla. Second, he already checked off major goals in mountain biking, and was searching for a new stimulus to push his limits.<\/p>\n

And third was age. Last year, at 29, it was now or never.<\/p>\n

For Hatherly, a step \u201cdown\u201d to almost neo-pro\/rookie level<\/a> at the WorldTour was both risky and invigorating.<\/p>\n

\u201cRoad racing was always interesting to me, but I never had the opportunity. The timing was right, and things opened up with Giant and [Jayco-AlUla],\u201d he said. \u201cI wanted to try it and see how far I could go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Steep learning curve
\n\"Hatherly\"Hatherly hit his first pro road podium at Coppi e Bartali. (Photo: Dario Belingheri\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Now in year two of the experiment, he\u2019s embracing the punishment of the pavement and increasingly starting to dish out some himself.<\/p>\n

Hatherly nearly won in his pro road debut at the AlUla Tour in 2025, hitting second and third in stages. After that, he closed out his road season with 11th at the Arctic Race of Norway and 17th at the Guangxi Tour in China.<\/p>\n

His motor was never in doubt, but in pro road racing, it\u2019s more often pacing, positioning, and staying power that separate the wheat from the chaff than pure watts alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first season for sure was challenging. You don\u2019t just change discipline and go to the sharp end straight away,\u201d Hatherly told Velo. \u201cThe level is so high across all sports. It takes time and patience. I\u2019m really happy with the progression from last season, and the lessons are paying off this season.\u201d<\/p>\n

Things have clicked into place this spring.<\/p>\n

He was sixth in the opening time trial at Tirreno-Adriatico and hung tough all week with the WorldTour \u201cbigs\u201d to finish 13th overall, a solid result in the cut-throat, relentless spring Italian stage race.<\/p>\n

His best moment so far came on the fifth and final stage at Coppi e Bartali in late March. He attacked over the steep Monte Stella Cat. 1 summit with teammate Mauro Schmid, led him out for the stage win and GC, and bounced from 12th to third overall in the tactical raid.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best part? Just the challenge. No race is the same,\u201d Hatherly said of his road adventure. \u201cIt\u2019s the unpredictability, always having to anticipate \u2014 it\u2019s all new to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Balancing road and dirt
\n\"Hatherly\"Hatherly is finding the balance between his road and mountain bike ambitions. (Photo: Piotr Staron\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Hatherly is following a well-blazed path of cross-pollination between road and mountain biking at the sport\u2019s highest levels.<\/p>\n

Cadel Evans went from a World Cup winner to winning road racing\u2019s ultimate prize at the 2011 Tour de France.<\/p>\n

Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot, who boasts world titles across MTB, cyclocross, gravel, and road, pivoted back to the tarmac after striking gold in Paris 2024 to win the 2025 Tour de France Femmes and Paris-Roubaix Femmes.<\/p>\n

Hatherly watched others like Pidcock, Puck Pieterse, and Mathieu van der Poel all thriving across multiple disciplines, and was intrigued.<\/p>\n

\u201cPidcock and Van der Poel are an inspiration, but I am coming later into the road,\u201d Hatherly said. \u201cI haven\u2019t set a specific race, but I would like to win a pro road race. I\u2019m used to being at the front of races in mountain biking, and that\u2019s what I am working for on the road.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hatherly wants to keep testing his ceiling and is currently in talks to extend with Jayco-AlUla beyond 2026.<\/p>\n

But mountain biking will remain central to his calendar, even if that means missing out on key MTB dates and the points that come with them. Keeping his off-road skills sharp is essential.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest challenge going back to mountain biking is grid position,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t have the front-row or second-row position. Racing from the back in mountain biking has its own challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hatherly confirmed to Velo that he will target a triple world title this summer and then finish out the road season with Jayco-AlUla.<\/p>\n

Positioning is half the battle
\n\"Hatherly\"Hatherly is in talks to continue with Jayco-AlUla beyond 2026. (Photo: Dario Belingheri\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

After his rookie 2025 season, Hatherly is soaking up everything.<\/p>\n

Changing disciplines is mental just as it is physical. Road racing also requires a radically different set of nutrition, training, pacing, and tactics than mountain biking.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a completely different sport than what I am used to,\u201d Hatherly said. \u201cIt\u2019s a big difference from racing 1 hour, 20 minutes in mountain biking to doing stages of four to five hours. I\u2019ve changed everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

That reset was what he was looking for. Mountain biking skills have helped on the road, especially the sharp, red-line efforts of an XCO race that can help in the decisive moments of a road race.<\/p>\n

Getting there is the biggest obstacle.<\/p>\n

\u201cPositioning is a big part of performance. There are quite a few things to learn just to make it to the final,\u201d Hatherly told Velo. \u201cI\u2019m patient with this project. I want to win and get the best result possible. I am willing to learn and keep growing. I\u2019m confident it will make me better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Being stronger makes it easier to be at the front, and he\u2019s growing more confident in his positioning skills. So far, he\u2019s been lucky to avoid a major crash or injury.<\/p>\n

Hatherly will now have the ultimate test this week against the likes of Tadej Poga\u010dar, Paul Seixas, and Remco Evenepoel in the brutal Ardennes classics.<\/p>\n

Grand tour debut
\n\"Hatherly\"Hatherly, left, is poised to race the Giro. (Photo: Dario Belingheri\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

He\u2019s not going full-time roadie. LA 2028 and mountain biking gold remain the ultimate finish line.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be close to the win is always tough to accept,\u201d he said of Paris 2024 when he was third. \u201cYou always think maybe you could have done things differently. So carrying that forward, it makes me hungry for more.\u201d<\/p>\n

The roadmap to Los Angeles could go through Italy and the Giro d\u2019Italia, the three-week, 21-stage grand tour that runs from May 8-31.<\/p>\n

Though not yet official, Hatherly is expected to earn one of the eight starting spots on Jayco-AlUla. The team will go with big GC ambitions around captain Ben O\u2019Connor.<\/p>\n

Hatherly is fired up for the Giro challenge, even though his longest event so far is just seven consecutive race days. The Giro is a massive step up in endurance, resilience, and opportunity.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been in discussion already in December, but it\u2019s not finalized yet,\u201d Hatherly told Velo. \u201cI\u2019m fully focused on that, and it\u2019s something I really want to do. Having a grand tour under my legs is going to help fast-track my transition into the road, and a lot of riders said once you do a grand tour, it\u2019s game-changing.\u201d<\/p>\n

If Hatherly wanted to get out of his comfort zone the past two seasons, he\u2019s certainly done that.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s elevated his skillset, transformed his staying power, and improved overall depth. And he wants to confirm that by racing the Giro in May and then pivoting back to the dirt to race worlds this summer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will still balance the two,\u201d he said. \u201cI have high standards in mountain biking, and I am used to being in top shape, and I want to do the same on the road. It\u2019s part of this larger project to build toward the Olympics.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hatherly knows he won\u2019t be winning the Tour de France, but he\u2019s hoping his audacious bet on the road will be the difference-maker when he chases Olympic gold in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Updated April 21, 2026 12:11PM Alan Hatherly knows exactly what he wants: Olympic mountain bike gold at Los…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":619628,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[445],"tags":[168574,49,48,635,75781,82,232629,62576,102249,62848,232630,54267],"class_list":{"0":"post-619627","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-audio-true","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-canada","11":"tag-cycling","12":"tag-parent_category-mountain","13":"tag-sports","14":"tag-tag-alan-hatherly","15":"tag-tag-evergreen","16":"tag-tag-giro-ditalia","17":"tag-tag-jayco-alula","18":"tag-tag-mountain-biking","19":"tag-type-article"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/619627","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=619627"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/619627\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/619628"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=619627"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=619627"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=619627"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}