Les Gets, France – South African riders wrapped up their weekend at the 2025 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Les Gets with spirited performances in the Olympic-distance cross-country races on Sunday. Following encouraging results in Friday’s Short Track events, the squad faced the ultimate endurance test against the world’s best in the French Alps.
U23 Women: Jacobs fights to top 15
Tyler Jacobs, who impressed on Day 1 with 7th in the Short Track, continued to show her promise in the U23 Women’s Olympic-distance race. Riding for Liv Factory Racing, Jacobs crossed the line 14th, clocking 01:11:37, just over five minutes off the winning pace. Her result confirms her growing consistency at international level and highlighted her ability to hold form across an extended race.
U23 Men: Ambrosi leads SA trio
In the Men’s U23 race, Massimiliano Ambrosi was South Africa’s best finisher in 14th place with a time of 01:21:15, 4:21 behind the winner. Ernest Roets and Luca Ruwiel both fought through the grueling pace of the 90-rider field, finishing classified 69th and 75th respectively, each ending two laps behind the race winner. Their results underline just how relentless the competition was at Les Gets.
Elite Women: Lill digs deep
South Africa’s top female rider, Candice Lill, once again shouldered the flag in the Elite Women’s field. After a strong 9th in Friday’s Short Track, Lill battled through a punishing Olympic-distance contest to finish 29th in 01:20:46, just under nine minutes behind winner Jenny Rissveds of Sweden. While off her usual top-10 form, the result still delivered important UCI points as she continues her Olympic qualification campaign.
Elite Men: Hatherly leads the charge
All eyes were on Alan Hatherly, South Africa’s Sportsman of the Year, after his outstanding 4th place in the Short Track. In the Elite Men’s Olympic race, Hatherly again rode with intent, finishing 4th in 01:22:35, just 32 seconds behind the winner. His consistency across the weekend underlined his standing among the world’s best.
Behind him, Luke Moir placed 39th in 01:27:49, while Johan van Zyl fought to the finish and was classified 87th, ending the race four laps behind the leaders.
Building on Day 1 success
The results capped a demanding three days of racing for the South African contingent in Les Gets. Day 1 had brought optimism with Hatherly’s and Lill’s top-10 Short Track finishes, Jacobs’ top-7 U23 ride, and solid downhill qualifiers. Sunday’s endurance tests reaffirmed Hatherly’s world-class credentials, showed Jacobs’ steady progress in U23, and highlighted the competitive challenges faced by the rest of the squad.
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For More South African Mountain Bike News: Solid Start for South Africans on Opening Day of MTB World Cup in Les Gets
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