All eyes were fixed on the principality of Andorra during this week’s UCI MTB World Championships. The Olympics was still fresh in our minds, which added weight to each matchup. Would Alan Hatherly bring home the gold for his native Rainbow Nation? Would Puck Pieterse prevail? The answer: Yes. And how.

Let’s look back at a fantastic week and check out the races, the track, and the Shimano-equipped bikes that brought home the medals.

It was dusty. It was technical. A four-kilometer track with approximately 160 meters of elevation per lap. From the first big climb, riders encountered a dual slalom offering ample opportunity for overtaking. The route became increasingly difficult, with sections resembling a root-strewn pump track.

Koretzky and Hatherly joined Britain’s Charlie Aldridge up front at the outset of the Men’s Elite race. Defending champion and Olympic Gold Medalist, Tom Pidcock got off to another slow start to come within reach of his countryman Aldridge in a fierce battle for third place. After winning the U23s Rainbow Jersey in 2018 and the e-MTB gold medal in 2019, South African Alan Hatherly came through victorious on the dusty Andorran track.

As if the threat of Tom Pidcock lit a match, Hatherly lifted off and took Koretzky with him for a scintillating finale—coming out on top for his country’s first-ever MTB World Championship title in the Men Elite section. The Olympic podium was flipped upside down. History made. A big congrats to Hatherly and his team at Cannondale Factory Racing.

For the Women's Elites, the long-awaited rematch between Ferrand-Prévot and Pieterse evolved into a double-Dutch finale, with Puck Pieterse escaping her compatriot Terpstra to win handily. “I cannot comprehend it yet!” Pieterse said after the race. “I rode my own pace from the start. I thought I need to go all-in if I want to win this. And I kept pushing and apparently it was enough. I have my first Elite UCI World title and I’m just so happy.” The Dutch talent from Alpecin-Fenix is going to go a long way, a huge congrats to Puck and her team.

Ferrand-Prévot ultimately came in 14th place and signed off from MTB. The multidisciplinarian has now got her complete focus on road racing—one of her many talents and World Championship titles.

In the U23 section, Luca Martin from France won the World Championship title in great style—securing a 21-second lead for the first place! Congratulations to Luca and the Orbea Factory Team on this awesome performance.

Dry conditions made the Andorran downhill track fast and loose, with clouds following each rider careening down into the deep, further opening up the course and adding complexities. The margin for error was non-existent. At such tremendous speeds, the riders would find themselves within a hair’s length of each other.

In the Women Elite race, Tahnée Seagrave completed the technical descent in grand style, earning her a brilliant third place. Her performance was exhilarating and highlighted her impressive recovery from injury to return to the very top of the sport.

Frenchman Benoît Coulanges came through in an astonishing 02:38.809, just short of first place—retaining the silver medal in the process.

Puck Pieterse, Luca Martin, and Alan Hatherly claimed the XCO Rainbow Jerseys riding the XTR M9100 groupset. XTR is the pinnacle of MTB technology, designed to meet the demands of professional racing at the highest level.