Lill, Hatherly & Minnaar thrill crowds and make history at MTB World Cup
Hatherly won the XCC and XCO.
Minnaar finished third in the DH.
Lill claimed a career-best second in the XCO.
A remarkable and historic weekend of racing for South African riders in Les Gets, France.
Traditionally, at a double-header World Cup (XC and DH racing) if South African riders stood upon one or two podiums, in the Elite categories, that would be ample reason to celebrate. So to have our Elite riders stand on the podium no less than four times, with two of those being wins, is both record-breaking and simply astonishing.
For perspective, let’s have a look at how the great cycling nations performed. Switzerland ‘won’ the podium count with a total of five riders making the various podiums. France and South Africa are the next highest scoring nation, each with four podiums. South Africa is however, the only nation with two wins across those podiums. Against those cycling giants with all their support structures and resources, Candice, Alan and Greg ain’t doing too bad!
Alan Hatherly dominated the weekend’s XC racing by sweeping both the XCC and XCO races. He’s won so many races it’s hard to believe this was his first XCO win. In the process, he inherits the series leaders jersey and is 186 points clear of the next best, one Nino Schurter. With only two rounds left in the series, that’s a sizeable lead. With the Olympics a matter of weeks away, things couldn’t be going better for Alan.
After a mechanical resulted in a DNF during the XCC, Candice Lill bounced back from a fourth row start during Sunday’s XCO to secure a career-best second place. Climbing like a machine, she closed gaps on her own and navigated the treacherous conditions, without a single crash. An incredible ride. She’s on track for a great Olympics, and a full factory ride in the future. In the overall series, she is placed fifth, with two rounds to go.
In the Downhill, just as it looked like we would get another win from Greg Minnaar he was knocked off the hot seat by Andy Kolb and Amaury Pierron to finish third. Riding on the slickest track the World Cup circuit has seen in many years, his run was classic Minnaar; cool, calm and calculated. A complete contrast to the after party, no doubt. //