Alan Hatherly makes the leap to the road, leaves Cannondale for Giant, and signs with the Jayco-AlUla team

The current XCO World Champion Alan Hatherly has just announced that he is leaving Cannondale Factory and signing with the Jayco-AlUla road team for the 2025 season.

Alan Hatherly surprises everyone by signing with the Jayco-AlUla road team and the Giant Factory Racing in mountain bike

The newly crowned XCO World Champion and winner of the overall XCO World Cup classification, Alan Hatherly, has just given one of the most surprising news in the discipline. After being the leader of the Cannondale Factory team for several seasons, he has announced his signing with the Australian road team Jayco-AlUla linked to the Giant brand.

The team explains that the 28-year-old South African is looking to focus his attention on the road and is ready to combine MTB and road competitions in 2025. A transition that only a few cyclists have been able to successfully achieve, and we will see what result Hatherly achieves.

RECOMENDADO

The best exercise routine to do at home

25 cycling gifts ideas to get it right

Don't overlook your nutrition when training in cold weather

We tested the Specialized Epic 8: the XC bike that everyone is talking about in 2024

What is the Harris-Benedict formula and how does it work for weight loss or performance?

Some reasons to stay away from the road in winter

It will not be the first time that Hatherly competes in road races, as he already has a second place in the Time Trial Championship and other victories in national races in his record.

Giant is the official bike provider for the GreenEDGE Cycling WorldTour teams, and Hatherly will compete with the Giant Factory Racing in MTB.

"I am incredibly excited for this new chapter in my cycling career and very grateful for the opportunity to ride for GreenEDGE Cycling over the next two seasons. I believe now is the perfect time to step out of my comfort zone and further develop myself. Moving to a WorldTour team is, of course, completely new for me, it will be a steep learning curve and I will learn from the best. Combining road and MTB is new and refreshing, and I am very excited to see where this journey can go!" Alan Hatherly explained after his signing.

Meanwhile, Brent Copeland, team director, said:

"Alan has clearly had a groundbreaking season in the MTB discipline, and shows that he has much more to give. We are delighted to be able to work with such a talented cyclist and we believe that our strong support network within the WorldTeam setup is something that Hatherly will greatly benefit from. He has a lot of talent and clearly a lot of potential, and we believe he can go far on the road."