World Cup: For the Win(s)

Haute Boy Summer was just warming up on Friday with the 1-2 win in Short Track from Alan Hatherly and Charlie Aldridge. Now it’s on full boil.

If Hatherly’s Short Track performance could be called dominant, then his win in a Cross-Country Olympic today was downright omnipotent. He simply transcended the field, winning by 1:22 over second place. And, as if to ride home the point, his teammate Simon Andreassen followed him onto the podium in third.

Cannondale Factory Racing’s authority over the XCO field was steady all day: Hatherly sprinted to the lead right off the gun. If it wasn’t him off the front, it was Aldridge. If it wasn’t Aldridge, it was Andreassen. If it wasn’t a CFR rider, it was a handful of competitors who rotated – but it was always CFR and a Scalpel on or near the top spot.

On lap number four out of eight, Hatherly made his move from second place, to get out front and stay there. By the start of the fifth lap, he was up by 22 seconds. By the sixth, he was up by 47 seconds. By the seventh, 1:05. Calm and focused, no one could touch him. Even the commentators acknowledged, “This is classic Alan Hatherly: doing the damage over a longer distance.”

Further back in the fight for third, Andreassen was gnawing away at the endurance of his groupmates. There were attacks, but Andreassen responded to each, always within a length of any challengers. First and second were told stories, but Andreassen knew that third was still being written – and he was writing it.

By the beginning of the final lap, Hatherly had simultaneously relaxed and yet dialed in further. Methodical in his line choice, his demeanor was smooth and cool, yet he was still able to put an astonishing 17 additional seconds between himself and second place, totaling nearly a minute and a half. Leading up to the finish line, a fan handed him a South African flag. Hatherly grabbed it and sat up waving it as he crossed. He was visibly elated.

His first-ever Cross-Country Olympic win was in his hands – the first win in the category by an African man in over a decade – and at that moment, the UCI World Cup leader’s jersey was, too. It was a welcomed swell of heavy-duty bragging rights.

Andreassen’s battle for third would come down to the end of the final lap, but no competitor could keep up with him when he kicked things up a notch in the last few corners. He crossed the line smiling big – although not as big as Hatherly, who was waiting right there to embrace him.

Cannondale Factory Racing was the fastest team of the day, and now ranks as the fastest team overall in the UCI World Cup. Look for the coveted yellow number plates blazing forth on their bikes when they line up in Lake Placid in September.