2022 UCI MTB World Champs Recap – Insights From Team SA’s Riders

by | Sep 1, 2022 | Bike, Bike Events & Racing, Bike Race Reports

In a whirlwind, the 2022 UCI MTB World Champs wrapped up with (mostly) new riders earning themselves the right to adorn the rainbow stripes into 2023 across 5 disciplines and 14 categories. Nino Schurter, Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, and Loic Bruni all added to their list of world champs victories with Nino being the only to defend a 2021 win at the championships.

Uci Mtb World Champs
Racing was as sharp as ever at the 2022 UCI MTB World Champs. Many South African Athletes threw their hat in the ring with the world’s best. PC: Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool

Team South Africa had a large host of riders competing across age groups which was great to see! For several of these riders it would be their first exposure to racing in Europe where tracks are steeper and competition is fierce. Our returning riders were looking to improve on previous results and apply lessons learned from those experiences.

This is easier said than done when there isn’t regular exposure to the global scene and terrain. Riders like Greg Minnaar and Alan Hatherly have cemented their careers and enjoyed success through maximising time spent racing in Europe and honing their race craft where the world’s best do their training and racing.

2022 Uci Mtb World Champs Recap - Insights From Team Sa'S Riders
Our saffa crew left it all out there on the tracks across Junior, u/23, elites, XCC, XCO, and downhill! PC: Michal Cerveny

We reached out to Team SA’s riders for a quick voice note recapping their World Champs experience and you can listen to those below! You can find more category results at the bottom of the page.

Phil Buys – Elite Men XCC / XCO – 34th / 48th

Phil Buys World Champs Recap

Candice Lill – Elite Women XCC / XCO – 20th / 27th

Candice Lill World Champs Recap

Johan Van Zyl – u/23 Men XCO – 48th

Johan Van Zyl World Champs Recap

Beanie Thies – Elite Women DH – 25th

Beani Thies World Champs Recap

Tristan Nortje – u/23 Men XCO – 63rd

Tristan Nortje World Champs Recap

Ernest Roets – Junior Men XCO – 31st

Ernie Roets World Champs Recap

Frankie Du Toit – Elite Women DH – 30th

Frankie Du Toit World Champs Recap

Keagan Brand – Junior Men Downhill – 54th

Keagan Brand World Champs Recap

Tyler Jacobs – u/18 Women XCO – 20th
It was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before, I was in the red the entire time.


The Basel cup the weekend before gave me a bit of insight and preparation for what I’d face at worlds. I got a taste of what it’s like to race at the front, however there is a lot of work to be done to keep me there for the whole race. I came 20th, which I wasn’t too pleased with, I was hoping for more, but as a result of 8 months of training, I think there’s hope for the future.


Next year, leaving the junior ranks, I look forward to the challenge of racing two South African MTB icons in Candice and Mariske, which I believe will help me to grow stronger, as well as possibly doing a few more European races.

Team SA UCI MTB World Champs Results:

Junior Women XCO
Tyler Jacobs – 20th

Junior Men XCO
Ernest Roets – 31st
Massimiliano Ambrosi – 51st
Jordan Boshoff – 55th
Justin Swanepoel – 85th

Junior Men DH
Philip van Schalkwyk – 41st
Keagan Brand – 54th

u23 Women XCO
Rimari Sutton – 55th

u23 Men XCO
Johan Van Zyl – 48th
Tristan Nortje – 63rd
Jaeden Terlouw – 79th
Luke Moir – 80th

Elite Women DH
Sabine Thies – 25th
Frankie du Toit – 30th

Elite Men DH 
Greg Minnaar – 11th
Theo Erlangsen – 38th
Rory Kirk – 63rd

Elite Women XCO
Candice Lill – 20th XCC / 27th XCO

Elite Men XCO
Alan Hatherly – 4th XCC / 7th XCO
Phil Buys – 34th XCC / 48th XCO
Matthew Lombardi -26th (E-MTB Race)

Some of our riders will be heading on to Val di Sole in Trento, Italy to race the final round of the 2022 UCI MTB World Cup. Keep your ears to WILD AIR Sports for racing info at the location that Minnaar won the 2022 World Championship title.

Check out WILD AIR Sports for more articles like this.

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