Cannondale Factory Racing | New Athlete Announcement for 2021

We’re building a killer CFR team this year with the World Cup and the Olympics coming up and we’re stoked for what is to come. We have two new athletes on the XC side joining Cannondale Factory Racing: Alan Hatherly and Simon Andreassen. Super exciting stuff! World #1 Henrique Avancini and veteran teammate Manuel Fumic are joined by former junior CX and XC World Champion Simon Andreassen (DEN) and former U23 & E-bike World Champion Alan Hatherly (RSA) on the CFR roster. Both additions to the team had breakout results in 2020, with Andreassen winning his first Elite XCO World Cup and Alan securing an Elite XCO World Cup podium. The newly formed team spent two weeks together for a small team camp to prepare for the 2021 season, where the focus will be on the UCI MTB XC World Cup, UCI World Championships, the Olympic games in Tokyo and the ABSA Cape Epic in October. Simon will be competing in his first race as a Cannondale athlete on Saturday, January 9, at the Danish National Cyclocross Championships. This is exciting news for his debut representing Cannondale!

Some of Simon’s and Alan’s past wins: 

• Simon Andreassen (DEN): current Elite XC National Champion, 2020 Nove Mesto World Cup winner (first elite race/1st round), former Junior World Champion in XCO and Cyclocross.
• Alan Hatherly (RSA): former U23 XCO World Champion, former e-bike World Champion 2019, 5th at 2020 Nove Mesto World Cup (2nd round), South African Elite XC National Champion, and former African Jersey winner at Cape Epic.

Alan Hatherly: 

“This is really a dream come true to be wearing the Cannondale colors for the upcoming season and beyond. Excitement levels are high for this new journey alongside powerhouse teammates! I can’t wait for the season to commence and to get racing on the new machine with some big goals in place for the 2021 season. I’m confident that I’m going to level up and learn in this space which is also really exciting.” 

Simon Andreassen: 

“It’s with such excitement and honor that I am joining Cannondale Factory Racing. One of those scenarios where reality beats imagination. It’s a complete game changer for me - especially after being on the first team camp and seeing how professionally the team works and how much fun we have together.” 

Henrique Avancini (returning CFR athlete): 

“It’s great to see young guys with so much talent and willing to work hard toward their goals. With their talent and the Cannondale Factory Racing way of working, they are going to have the tools to become important and significant athletes for our sport. CFR has developed a great working method and I believe Alan and Simon are going to have the best environment for their development. They both know what it takes to win. They both showed how fast they can go. Now it’s about learning how to be consistent and build a solid career. They add a lot of freshness and I truly believe they going to find the finest expertise on how to get the work done. CFR future looks great.” 

Daniel Hespeler (CFR Team Manager): 

“Having Alan and Simon on board for 2021 and beyond, alongside World #1 Henrique Avancini, and Manuel Fumic was the next logical step for CFR. Simon and Alan are 2 of the most promising up and coming riders from the U23 and already delivered Elite World Cup podium performances in 2020. Every single rider on the team has been a World Champion in their careers already. We expect some great things from this new team composition and the fun and laughs we had at team camp are a good indicator of being on the right track.” 

Jonathan Geran (Cannondale Global Director of Sports Marketing): 

“Building a team that is competing with the best in the world takes talent, hard work and dedication to the craft. CFR embodies every element to compete, and alongside the proven success of our returning riders both Alan and Simon raise the bar once more for the team.”

Stay tuned for more CFR news regarding the enduro team shortly.

Photo Credit: Jean Pierre Jacobs for Cannondale / @jeanpierre_jacobs