Hatherly surprises everyone and is XCO World Champion once again

South African Alan Hatherly has once again written his name in the history of mountain biking by winning the 2025 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Cross-Country Olympic (XCO) in Crans-Montana. The reigning world champion surprised from the second lap with a devastating attack that allowed him to break away solo and open an insurmountable gap against all the favorites. No one could challenge him for the rainbow jersey and he has thus achieved his second consecutive title.

Alan Hatherly beats all the favorites and retains his XCO World Champion title

The race started at a very high pace with Christopher Blevins (USA) and Victor Koretzky (FRA) dominating the first lap. The Dutch Mathieu van der Poel, who started far back, made a spectacular initial comeback, placing in the top 10 in just a few minutes. However, the Dutchman paid the price in the third lap and gradually lost ground until he was out of the medal contention.

The main protagonist was Hatherly. In the second lap, he took advantage of a mistake by Koretzky in a technical section to launch an attack that left everyone without a response. From that moment on, he rode alone at the front, increasing the lead lap after lap to over a minute and a half. An imperial performance that confirms him as one of the great dominators of the current XCO.

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However, the excitement was in the battle for the podium. In the last lap, Italian Simone Avondetto launched a decisive attack on the descent that allowed him to drop Mathias Flückiger and secure the silver medal, achieving the best result of his elite career.

Behind, Frenchman Victor Koretzky made a spectacular comeback in the final meters. After riding for much of the race between fourth and sixth place, he found the strength in the last lap to overtake Luca Schatti and Flückiger, securing the bronze and completing a podium of the highest level.

Schatti finished fourth just two seconds away from the medals, and Flückiger, after fighting for the silver throughout the race, had to settle for fifth place.

The top 10 was completed by Simon Andreassen (6th), Luca Braidot (7th), Filippo Fontana (8th), Filippo Colombo (9th), and Fabio Püntener (10th).

Nino Schurter, in his last World Championships, could not be in the front battle and rode far from the top positions, although he received the applause of the crowd at every pass through the finish line.

Top 10 XCO Men's Elite World Championships 2025

1. Alan Hatherly (RSA) - 1:30:30
2. Simone Avondetto (ITA) - +0:48
3. Victor Koretzky (FRA) - +0:51
4. Luca Schatti (SUI) - +0:53
5. Mathias Flückiger (SUI) - +0:57
6. Simon Andreassen (DEN) - +1:06
7. Luca Braidot (ITA) - +1:31
8. Filippo Fontana (ITA) - +2:16
9. Filippo Colombo (SUI) - +2:38
10. Fabio Püntener (SUI) - +2:48