Cross-country mountain bike world champion Alan Hatherly has signed a two-year contract with Jayco Alura that will see him combine his World Tour road racing and off-road calendars in 2025.

Hatherly, from South Africa, won the world title in 2024 with Pal Arinsal after winning the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics.

Although Hatherley has little experience on the road, he has also shown his off-road prowess on the tarmac, finishing second to Ryan Gibbons (Lidl-Trek) in the South African national time trial championships.

“I am incredibly excited about this new chapter in my cycling career and very grateful for the opportunity to ride with GreenEDGE Cycling for the next two seasons,” Hatherly said in a press release.

“I think this is the perfect moment for me to get out of my comfort zone and grow even more. Moving to a World Tour road team is of course something completely new for me and will be a steep learning curve.

The 28-year-old Hazer debuted the rainbow jersey at the end of the season and capped the year with a win in the Mont-Saint-Anne XCO race to take the overall UCI MTB Cross Country World Cup title.

Hatherly was with Cannondale Factory Racing in 2024 when he moved to Jayco Arua to join the team of WorldTour team bike manufacturer Giant Factory Racing.

“Of course, Hatherley is the current MTB World Champion and will continue to have a focus in this area thanks to the support from Giant,” said team manager Brent Copeland.

“We look forward to achieving great things together in MTB and on the road. He can certainly learn from his many experienced teammates and staff.

In 2025, he will join Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers), Samuel Gaze (Alpecin Deceuninck), Pook Peterse (Phoenix Deceuninck), and the Holmgren twins Ava and Isabella (Riddle Trek) in MTB and road They join the ranks of multi-discipline riders competing in elite competitions.

“Alan has clearly had a breakthrough season in the MTB discipline.

“We are excited to be working with such a talented rider and believe that the strong support network of the World Team will be of great benefit to Hatherly. He has a lot of talent and obviously a lot of potential.

Hatherley is the ninth newcomer for Australia in 2025, along with Ben O'Connor, Koen Bouwman, Jasha Sütterlin, Paul Double, Jelte Krijnsen, Patrick Gamper, Asbjørn Hellemose, and Bob Donaldson will also join, bringing Jayco Aroura's roster up to 30 players.