"The GC is still tight, so I’m looking forward to the battle" - MTB Bike champ Alan Hatherly proves himself a force on the road with 3rd on AlUla Tour summit finish

Just behind the victorious Tom Pidcock on stage 2 of the AlUla Tour 2025, another mountain bike star was making a big impression. In his first real road racing test for Team Jayco AlUla, South African mountain bike world champion Alan Hatherly came home in 3rd.

"It was a strange finish today, I think for safety reason they adapted it and it made it a strange finish with it being neutralised until five kilometres to go and then an all-out dice to the top," reflected Hatherly post-race in a press release on the official website of Team Jayco AlUla, referencing the curious and somewhat confusing end to the stage brought about by some less than impressive road conditions.

Nevertheless, in the final climb to the line, Hatherly was incredibly impressive, even beating teammate and Vuelta a Espana stage winner Eddie Dunbar. "I was positioned poorly at the bottom and spent a lot of pennies to make it back to the front and by the time I did Tom went, I think he was watching, and I was a bit gassed to follow him all the way," he concludes, sitting 3rd on GC at 13 seconds to Pidcock. "But I’m happy nonetheless, the racing is still tight. I think the GC is still tight, so I’m looking forward to the battle.”