“I'm just missing a few watts”: Alan Hatherly shines in Italy while preparing to survive his first Grand Tour

South African cyclist Alan Hatherly is proving that his massive career shift from mountain biking to the WorldTour peloton is paying off. Celebrating his 30th birthday over the weekend, the Jayco AlUla rider secured a highly impressive 13th-place overall finish at Tirreno-Adriatico. Now, Jayco AlUla rider has his sights set on an even bigger milestone: surviving his very first Grand Tour at the Giro d'Italia.

Hatherly showed his physical talents throughout the Italian stage race. After being given the green light to ride for his own ambitions alongside teammate Andrea Vendrame, he gained crucial time with a sixth-place finish in the opening time trial. He then dug deep on the steep Marche climbs, ultimately finishing 13th overall, just 2:53 down on race winner Isaac del Toro.

"I did what I could in the final of the stages. I'm just missing a few watts to hang on to the front group, but I was happy with my rides," Hatherly explained to Cyclingnews. "I was able to stay up there all week, so I thought I might as well keep trying."

After making his WorldTour debut last year, the learning curve has been steep, but the results are starting to show. "I learned a lot last year, and it's been a lot easier and smoother this season. I wouldn't say I know everything yet, I'm still learning, but enjoying the process. I just need a bit of time and if I can continue at the same rate of progression, I'll be super happy."

While stars like Tom Pidcock and Mathieu van der Poel grew up balancing road racing and mountain biking, Hatherly is making the transition much later in his career. After winning two mountain bike world titles and a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, he actively sought out the harsh conditions and heavy risks of European road racing.

"That was all the point of changing to a road project, to be challenged, to be out of my comfort zone, so I can grow and develop as an athlete," Hatherly said. "I'm getting exactly that. Everything is a challenge and I'm enjoying that a lot."

The biggest hurdle hasn't been the physical effort, but the mental stress of riding in a tightly packed peloton where crashes can happen in the blink of an eye. "As a mountain biker, you take risks but you're in control of your risks. In road racing it's so much about positioning and the risk is completely out of your control. You put yourself in a position in the peloton and hope for the best, that nobody in front of you crashes. That took quite a lot of mental work for me to overcome. My bike skills are good but there's nothing you can do about the other riders."

Hatherly's standout performance at Tirreno-Adriatico goes a long way toward cementing his spot on the Jayco AlUla roster for the upcoming Giro d'Italia. He will tackle the Coppi e Bartali stage race in late March before fully focusing on his Grand Tour debut, pushing any mountain bike returns to the summer World Cup season.

"I'm on the long list for the Giro to Italia, so I've geared my pre-season around making the Giro team. Hopefully I can seal the deal at Tirreno-Adriatico and so head to the Giro," Hatherly said. "It'll be a whole new adventure for me. It'd be about trying to survive three weeks in a Grand Tour. It's a completely massive project but it'll be super exciting to try the next step in my road career."